Sri Lanka is preparing early for a possible challenge on the accountability of alleged war crimes at the upcoming U.N. Human Rights Council by appointing a ministerial sub committee to implement a government human rights plan, a minister said on Friday.

Sri Lanka will be under Universal Periodic Review at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva scheduled to begin early next month.

Ahead of the U.N. session, the government has stepped up the implementation of a human rights plan by appointing a ministerial sub committee to counter possible charges of accountability over allegations of war crimes during the last phase of the country's three decade war in 2009.

The National Action Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights was pledged by Sri Lanka to the U.N. in 2008 but was only launched in October 2011.

"This is to emphasize the government's dedication to human rights," acting cabinet spokesman Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana told the media.

On Wednesday the government also launched a DVD compiled by the Defence Ministry on the bomb attacks carried out by the Tamil Tigers titled "Ruthless" to counter claims of war crimes.

However, in January the government announced that it will not present a key accountability report by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) before the U.N..

The move comes after the international community headed by Canada and the U.S. criticized the report for not dealing with alleged of war crimes by the government.

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