Mr. Stefan Priesner – United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iran
Today we come together to mark International Human Rights Day, which was yesterday.
This year is especially significant this year because it marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which represented the first step in establishing a comprehensive international framework for the promotion and protection of human rights.
Although it is very unfortunate that this anniversary is taking place amidst severe crises in various parts of the world, especially the Middle East, I think it is also important to recognize that this day highlights significant achievements, including the creation of a comprehensive body of human rights law and international and national human rights monitoring and implementation mechanisms all aimed at ensuring that human rights, in general, are now much better protected than ever before.
Before referring to the situation in Gaza, let me go back to 1948, when the world just emerged from a catastrophic world war, with 50 million people dead; a time when countries came together searching for a common ground to be able to establish a more permanent peace. This is, of course, a vision that we have witnessed many setbacks for, but I have to acknowledge that there is a lot of evidence of the close link between peace and human rights. Contrary to some commentators, there is nothing wrong with human rights, what is wrong is that there are many violations of human rights in the world from many different actors.
The codification of human rights is still very much a work in progress, as demonstrated (for instance) by ongoing intergovernmental debates taking place right now in Geneva, on standards-setting in the areas of the right to environment, but also on human rights in the context of very rapidly emerging new technologies such as artificial Intelligence. So human rights law is still evolving.
But Human Rights Day is a great opportunity to reflect on the challenges, to move from the era of codification of human rights (from which we have come a long way) into an era of effective promotion and protection of human rights, in all regions of the world.
I have to touch on the situation in Gaza now. I would like to share the UN position on Gaza. I am sure you have followed the various statements of the UN Secretary-General, but for me it is important to also say a few words on that. As highlighted by the UN Secretary-General as well as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the resumption of hostilities in Gaza is catastrophic. The UN has urged all parties, as well as States with influence over them, to redouble efforts, immediately, to ensure a ceasefire — on humanitarian and human rights grounds.
The UN reiterated that, under international humanitarian law, all parties, especially Israel, are required to ensure that the basic needs of the population in Gaza, including food, water, and medical care, are met.
As you also know, The UN Secretary-General has recently invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, saying we are “at a breaking point”.
While affirming that the United Nations is totally committed to staying and delivering for the people of Gaza, the Secretary-General also said that under current conditions on the ground, the fulfillment of this mandate has become almost impossible. Last week, he told the Security Council that the conditions for the effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza no longer exist.
The way forward must be through an immediate end to the violence, the prompt and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, the cessation of the firing of indiscriminate rockets and the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects, so that humanitarian aid commensurate to the immense needs of the people, and that it can be delivered, rapidly.
Today’s event serves as a very good opportunity to openly discuss the complex challenges of the world we live in, including the role of the UN and the close link between promoting peace and stability, sustainable development and the promotion of human rights.
As the UN Secretary-General stressed in his statement to mark this year’s Human Rights Day:
“Today, it is more important than ever to promote and protect human rights, which protect us all…The Universal Declaration shows us the way to common values and approaches that can help resolve tensions and create the security and stability that the world craves”.
And indeed, there is a lot of evidence for this, and that’s why I like the title of this event very much, having a link between adherence to human rights and promoting peace, and reversely, the sidelining of human rights and the eruption of conflict.
In the face of the increasingly complex geostrategic reality, the UN Secretary-General has defined a compelling vision for the challenges of the 21st century in his flagship report “Our Common Agenda”.
The Common Agenda reiterates the close interdependence between three dimensions: human rights, development and peace. On one hand, conflict situations are often the causes of setbacks and stagnation of human rights and sustainable development. Peace is thus a prerequisite of the realization of human rights and development. On the other hand, the promotion of sustainable development, including pursuing peaceful and inclusive societies, addressing environmental degradation, and enhancing access to justice for all, are key elements for the promotion of stability and conflict prevention.
The Common Agenda underlines the centrality of human rights in the promotion of development, noting that 92 % of all the Sustainable Development Goals are in one or the other way linked to human rights and labour standards.
Now, I would like to briefly touch on the work of the United Nations Country Team in Iran. We have a long-standing presence in this country, since 1950, with Iran being one of the founding members of the UN. In 1950, the first UN office, the Information Centre (UNIC) was established here. Since then, there has been a long history of cooperation, with currently 18 UN entities in Iran supporting the development of the country. We are focused very much on development, as well as the humanitarian priorities of the country.
Last year, in late 2022, we agreed with the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on a strategic framework of cooperation for 5 years, called the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), which outlines the themes and areas of collaboration between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the UN. This framework focuses on:
1-Public health management;
2-Socio-economic resilience;
3-Environmental protection;
4- Disaster risk reduction and management;
5- Drug control.
This is an addition to the largest area of our support, which is not developmental but humanitarian: the work on the collaboration for refugees, mainly the Afghan refugees. There is a huge humanitarian program supporting the long-term hosting of Afghan refugees in the country, which the UN very much appreciates. Tomorrow, 12 December, in Geneva, the Global Refugee Forum is starting and there will be appreciation for Iran’s role in being the biggest refugee-hosting nation.
Going back to the UNSDCF, its cornerstone is the commitment to international standards across diverse sectors, thus contributing to the creation of a development framework that upholds global best practices and values, including transparency, accountability, and inclusivity.
We also focus on the concept of human rights with the principle of “Leaving No One Behind”. With limited resources available, we are mostly focused on the most vulnerable groups in the country, such as people with disabilities, single female head households, children, and of course refugees , whom I mentioned before.
All of these areas, social resilience, environmental challenges, and social protection, are all framed to this angle, the angle of “Leaving no one behind”.
In conclusion, let me say that I believe that the future of peace is indeed closely linked to the promotion and protection of human rights, and it is also linked to inclusive and sustainable development and economic prosperity. UN sees development and Human Rights as the two sides of the same coin.
In the spirit of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration, let us all use today’s event to step up our efforts, to translate human rights into reality in the life of every child, woman, and man around the globe and the region.