Statement by

H.E. Ms. Zahra Ershadi

Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative

of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations

On Item 134: “The responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity”

Before the General Assembly

New York – 23 June 2022

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

Mr. President,

At the outset, I would like to express my sympathy and deepest condolences to the people of Afghanistan for the deadly earthquake in this country that has left over 1500 dead and injured many more. We urge the international community to mobilize its resources and take prompt action to respond to this urgent humanitarian disaster. We also call upon countries that have confiscated or blocked Afghan assets, contrary to basic humanitarian and international norms, to release them for the sake of humanity.

Mr. President,

I would like to reiterate my delegation’s unwavering commitment to the noble goal of the protection of civilians as well as the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and prosecution of their perpetrators. Early warning initiatives along with preventive diplomacy, including resorting to the appropriate peaceful settlement of disputes, serve as the cornerstones for these efforts in order to achieve this goal. We acknowledge the inevitable role of the youths in this process and emphasize the commitment of all countries to protect all their citizens especially children as well as youths during catastrophic humanitarian situations. In this regard, we take note of the recent report of the Secretary-General under this Agenda item.

Mr. President,

Bearing in mind that there is no consensus concerning the scope, definition and elements of the concept of the Responsibility to Protect since the 2005 World Summit, in-depth legal as well as humanitarian discussions are required to overcome any divergences in order to advance consensus on this concept and its application. In this regard, the legitimate concerns surrounding this concept must be addressed thoroughly and exhaustively in detail while assurances and commitments by Member States under the UN Charter with respect to sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of states as well as the non-use of force and threat to use of force must be reiterated.

Mr. President,

My delegation reiterates its longstanding position that the failure to effectively prevent atrocity crimes can be attributed more to the failures of the Security Council rather than due to the lack of a relevant normative framework. However, any attempt to divert the responsibilities of the Security Council to another UN body due to the Security Council’s failure to meet its responsibilities, including by providing noble interpretations of the articles of the UN Charter as well as non-consensual practices, is unequivocally rejected. It is crucial that an objective body, both impartial and independent, is used to assess all situations without selectivity based on the agreed upon legal norms and criteria. Therein, they shall act decisively in order to take the appropriate non-military measures to prevent the occurrence of atrocity crimes as well as its deteriorations. However, should there be an absence of such a body, the Security Council should continue to implement its mandates according to the Charter of the United Nations while efforts on Security Council reforms should be redoubled in order to compensate for its deficiencies.  

In addition, any attempt to deviate it from its exclusive humanitarian objectives in conceptualizing this concept is rejected.

Mr. President,

Based on past practices, we cannot also ignore the political orchestrations intended for the misuse of this concept in order to achieve narrow political agendas. It would be remiss of me if I did not mention the outstanding role of some mainstream medias in the hands of certain States and lobbies that willfully portray humanitarian situations while manipulating the realities on the ground. This nonconstructive role manifests in an exaggeration of particular situations while downgrading or censoring certain critical conditions, such as the cases concerning Afghanistan, Palestine and Yemen. Furthermore, the destructive role of these medias provokes insurgencies and dissatisfaction among those within the targeted countries, specifically by fueling incitement to violence, identity-based hate speech as well as hate crimes, racism, racial discrimination while also calling attention to religious differences. Ultimately, these actions culminate into a provocation for the commission of violence and terrorism, as witnessed in many countries in the Middle East is a matter of concerns.

Mr. President,

Since at least 2005, a number of countries have raised their concerns and questions time and again regarding the new concept of the Responsibility to Protect, specifically regarding its scope and application as well as its occasional arbitrary interpretations. It is necessary that those concerns are afforded vigilant attention and are considered within a report of the Secretary-General under this Agenda item. The United Nations should address all Member States’ positions and treat them equally. We should bear in mind that this is a new concept not an established principle, and it still needs to be considered by Member States.   

Finally, I would like to conclude my remarks by reiterating the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strong commitment to promote and preserve all human values as well as its commitments to the Charter of the United Nations.

Thank you