23/03/2018 Advocacy,

UN Top Rights Body Votes to Extend the Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Iran

The UN Human Rights Council adopted today a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. A majority of 21 states voted in favor of an extension of the mandate[1], which was opposed by only 7 member states[2], while 19 states abstained[3].

The adoption of this resolution, introduced by Sweden, allows the extension of the mandate of the UN rapporteur on Iran for one more year. Following the tragic passing of Ms. Asma Jahangir, who was Special Rapporteur on Iran since 2016, a new mandate holder will be appointed by the Human Rights Council in June this year.

Most notably, the resolution was supported by a large number of Latin American, Asian and African member states, representing almost half of the supporters of the resolution, including Côte d’Ivoire for the first time, as well as Chile, Mexico and Peru.

While Brazil abstained on the resolution, the country made a statement where it stressed areas of remaining concerns, including death penalty, the rights of women, children and religious and ethnic minorities, including the Baha’is. Before the vote, Mexico also stressed its concerns on these issues, as well as about freedom of speech and assembly.

Senegal and Rwanda who had supported the mandate in the past regrettably decided to abstain today, and while Georgia confirmed a position of abstention at odd with their proclaimed positions of championing human rights and international monitoring.

However, one of the most notable lessons of this vote has been the relative collapse in the votes of opposition to the mandate. After 12 states opposed the resolution last year, only 7 states voted against the resolution today, a historical low since 2014.

Earlier last week, an unprecedented number of 46 Iranian and international NGOs called on member states of the Human Rights Council to support the Swedish resolution on human rights in Iran, in order to “allow the continuation of a mandate that has proved vital for the advancement of human rights in Iran and yielded important gains”.

This vote ends a session of the Human Rights Council that had started four weeks ago by an incident created by the Iranian government’s decision to select Minister of Justice Seyyed Alireza Avaei, a major human rights violator placed by the European Union and Switzerland on their respective lists of individuals banned from travel and for accessing their assets because of their involvement in gross and systematic violations of human rights in Iran.

[1] Australia, Belgium, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States of America

[2] Burundi, China, Cuba, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Venezuela

[3] Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kenya, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia

UPCOMING EVENTS

(all times in EST)

02 04 23
  • World Autism Awareness Day

    02 04 23

03 04 23
  • HRC52: Iran Resolution Vote / Appt. of Mandate Holders

    03 04 23  6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

04 04 23
  • 52nd Session of the Human Rights Council: Closing

    04 04 23
    Geneva Switzerland

06 04 23
  • International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

    06 04 23

07 04 23
  • International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda

    07 04 23

  • World Health Day

    07 04 23

12 04 23
  • International Day of Human Space Flight

    12 04 23

20 04 23
  • Chinese Language Day

    20 04 23

21 04 23
  • World Creativity and Innovation Day

    21 04 23

22 04 23
  • International Mother Earth Day

    22 04 23

23 04 23
  • English Language Day

    23 04 23

  • Spanish Language Day

    23 04 23

    http://www.un.org/es/events/spanishlanguageday/

  • World Book and Copyright Day

    23 04 23

25 04 23
  • World Malaria Day

    25 04 23

26 04 23
  • International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day

    26 04 23

  • World Intellectual Property Day

    26 04 23

28 04 23
  • World Day for Safety and Health at Work

    28 04 23

29 04 23
  • Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

    29 04 23

30 04 23
  • International Jazz Day

    30 04 23

02 05 23
  • World Tuna Day

    02 05 23

03 05 23
  • World Press Freedom Day

    03 05 23

04 05 23
  • Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War

    04 05 23 - 05 05 23  

05 05 23
  • Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War

    04 05 23 - 05 05 23  

10 05 23
  • "Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon

    10 05 23

  • World Migratory Bird Day

    10 05 23

15 05 23
  • International Day of Families

    15 05 23

17 05 23
  • World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

    17 05 23

21 05 23
  • World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

    21 05 23

22 05 23
  • International Day for Biological Diversity

    22 05 23

23 05 23
  • International Day to End Obstetric Fistula

    23 05 23

29 05 23
  • International Day of UN Peacekeepers

    29 05 23

31 05 23
  • World No-Tobacco Day

    31 05 23

01 06 23
  • Global Day of Parents

    01 06 23

04 06 23
  • International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

    04 06 23

05 06 23
  • World Environment Day

    05 06 23

06 06 23
  • Russian Language Day

    06 06 23

08 06 23
  • World Oceans Day

    08 06 23

12 06 23
  • World Day Against Child Labour

    12 06 23

13 06 23
  • International Albinism Awareness Day

    13 06 23

14 06 23
  • World Blood Donor Day

    14 06 23

15 06 23
  • World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

    15 06 23

16 06 23
  • International Day of Family Remittances

    16 06 23

17 06 23
  • World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

    17 06 23

18 06 23
  • Sustainable Gastronomy Day

    18 06 23

19 06 23
  • International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

    19 06 23

20 06 23
  • World Refugee Day

    20 06 23

21 06 23
  • International Day of Yoga

    21 06 23

23 06 23
  • International Widows' Day

    23 06 23

  • United Nations Public Service Day

    23 06 23

25 06 23
  • Day of the Seafarer

    25 06 23

26 06 23
  • International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

    26 06 23

  • United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

    26 06 23

27 06 23
  • Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day

    27 06 23

29 06 23
  • International Day of the Tropics

    29 06 23

30 06 23
  • International Asteroid Day

    30 06 23

01 07 23
  • International Day of Cooperatives

    01 07 23

11 07 23
  • World Population Day

    11 07 23

15 07 23
  • World Youth Skills Day

    15 07 23

18 07 23
  • Nelson Mandela International Day

    18 07 23

28 07 23
  • World Hepatitis Day

    28 07 23

30 07 23
  • International Day of Friendship

    30 07 23

  • World Day against Trafficking in Persons

    30 07 23