Intervention by Ms. Fatemeh Arab Bafrani, Second Secretary

of the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran

at the UN General Assembly before action on the draft resolution L.34 contained in the report of the Third Committee A/77/463/add.3 on

the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

15 December 2022

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Mr. President,

I am delivering this statement in relation to the so-called draft resolution L.34 "situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran".

At the outset, my delegation reiterates its principled position of categorically rejecting this so-called draft resolution which is supported by those with a dark history of weaponizing human rights and instrumentalizing UN mechanisms.

Passing a resolution like this, will serve as part of some countries' attempt to marginalize Iran through the manipulation and exploitation of UN mechanisms. Their Iranophobic scenario demonstrated yesterday by the United States in ECOSOC by denying Iranian women the opportunity to exchange views and collaborate in the CSW, based on fabricated allegations.

Mr. President,

This resolution does not pertain to the protection of human rights, as their yesterday`s full-fledged campaign did not. Among its key sponsors are those who stand for racism, apartheid, colonialism, foreign occupation, unilateralism, autocracy and the genocide of indigenous peoples.

Such a campaign leading by Canada in the GA, the US in the ECOSOC and Germany in the Human Rights Council in Geneva all aim to exert political pressure on Iran. If these countries conclude that human rights tools can be easily manipulated to apply political pressure, they will surely exploit these tools in order to surrender this organization’s core value of multilateralism to reach their exclusivist and unilateralist aims.

By doing so, they force countries to march against one another. This is the message they are sending to the UN: either with us or against us. This message is also conveyed in their imposition of illegal unilateral coercive measures against independent countries, like mine.

Mr. President,

Some may view Canada as a country free from its troubled past, both remorseful and willing to make amends. However, they cannot play the role of a saint with regard to human rights while simultaneously the indigenous people within its borders are faced with a multitude of hardships and discrimination.

Likewise, their unwavering support for the Israeli regime, which is also among the cosponsors of its proposed resolution, contradicts Canada’s stance on human rights entirely.

The Israeli regime has carried out and continues the practice of forced evictions, arbitrary detentions, torture, other ill-treatments and violating the human rights of Palestinian women and girls with total impunity. When this regime labels Palestinian civil society organizations as "terrorists", it is impossible to regard it among the so-called “supporters” of human rights.

Mr. President,

This draft resolution did not enjoy any transparency within its negotiation process, however it was supported blindly by specific European countries who were dictated to be among its supporters. Ironically, these countries intend to lead us on what they deem as the “correct path” while failing to follow said path themselves.

During the Third Committee informals, we were forced to repeatedly deal with their arbitrary and domineering policies to accept non-consensual and contentious language while also adapting to their self-made concepts of human rights that egregiously ignore the diversity of Member States in terms of laws, culture and values. They advocate confrontation rather than cooperation. Even today, countries are forced to take sides under pressure, while the principled positions of independent countries are clear: safeguarding the UN human rights machinery against political biases and adhering to the fundamental principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, and non-selectivity.

Finally, Mr. President, the Islamic Republic of Iran is genuinely committed to the promotion and protection of human rights as well as dignity and continues to place the highest value on its cooperative and interactive approach in relation to the OHCHR and the UN human rights non-discriminatory mechanisms, such as the UPR. Taking into account all of the above, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly opposes the so-called draft resolution entitled "situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran" and asks other member states to do likewise.

In this vein, it is our firm belief that the continuation of the practice of selective adoption of country-specific mandates, particularly in the Third Committee, and exploitation of this platform for political ends contravenes the above-mentioned principles. Therefore, my delegation disassociates from the consensus regarding the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and votes against the draft resolutions on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic.

I thank you Mr. President.