UN Envoy Rejects Resolution on Removal of Iran from CSW

Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Saeed Iravani read two separate statements during the action on the resolution E/2023/L.4 entitled “Removal of the Islamic Republic of Iran from membership in the Commission on the Status of Women for the remainder of its 2022–2026 term”, held at the UN Headquarters in New York on December 14.

In the statements, the Iranian envoy condemned the politicization of women's rights and rejected whole the falsehoods and accusations made against Iran by the US and certain EU members.

What follows is the text of the first statement:

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

Madam President,

Today, we are witnessing yet another evidence of the United States' hostile policy toward Iranian people, particularly Iranian women, which is being pursued under the guise of defending human rights and in the form of a removal policy that is specific to the United States and its allies.

The US and its allies have participated in and interfered with the toppling of multiple legitimate governments via both overt and covert means. If they are unable to restore their puppet government to power, they will stage a coup, if they are unable to halt your progress in science, technology, and nuclear energy, they will assassinate your scientists; if you refuse to obey or bow to their oppressive policies, they will apply maximum pressure and impose UCMs even on pharmaceuticals; and if they are unable to prevent you from joining an international body, they will do whatever it takes to expel you. All these policies, which have been in place for almost 40 years, are intended to impede Iranians' advancement, especially that of women and girls.

Madam President,

The issue is straightforward. The Islamic Republic of Iran has become a member of the CSW with a high number of 43 votes among the 54 ECOSOC Member States through a transparent and democratic election and with the support of the Asian-Pacific Group.

The US request is entirely illegal as the Council members are fully aware that there is no precedent in the Council's practice of terminating an elected member's participation in a functional Commission for any alleged reason, nor it is supported by the Council's rule of procedures.

Despite this, one member—a bullying member notorious for disobeying the UN Charter and international law—intends to pursue its unlawful request to remove an elected member from the Commission, only on the basis of unfounded claims and fabricated arguments, by means of fabricated and demonizing narrative that in turn sets a dangerous precedent and undermining the rule of law at the UN system.

Madam President,

It is not at all unexpected that the United States is taking such unlawful action against Iran given its long-standing hostility toward the Iranian people, but if carried out, it would be exceedingly dangerous to the UN System's integrity. It contravenes the letter and spirit of the UN Charter, notably its basic notion of sovereign equality of States in membership with meaningful and equal participation in all multilateral forums, which has been recognized as the main pillar of multilateralism and the UN System. This illegal conduct might also create a dangerous precedent with far-reaching consequences.

Madam President,

This request is simply another stark example of US hypocrisy. The US has made it a standard practice to abuse and derail such valued concepts as human rights in order to achieve its illegitimate political goal, and it has achieved so by utilizing UN platforms and resources.

The CSW's long-standing resolution recognizing the horrific plight of Palestinian women under Israeli occupation is a prime example of such double standards and hypocrisy. While the consequences of Israel's occupation on the Palestinian people are on the ECOSOC agenda, the US has remained silent on Israel's violations of Palestinian women's rights.

Madam President,

It is intolerable for the United States to witness strong, dynamic, self-sufficient, and intelligent Iranian women actively participating in economic, social, and political life.

It is frustrating news for the US: whether we are members of the CSW or not, the Iranian women and girls will engage actively and effectively in many international fora.

Madam President,

We strongly believe that all Member States should condemn any action that compromises the outcome of the democratic process and establishes a contentious precedent in order to fulfill certain states' narrow political objectives while claiming to be safeguarding human rights.

 Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects and strongly condemns the draft resolution E/2023/L.4, and kindly urges ECOSOC members to vote against it.

I thank you, Madam President”

The text of the second statement is as follows:

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

Madam President,

First and foremost, my delegation categorically rejects the resolution adopted today. The baseless and fabricated allegations made against the Islamic Republic of Iran are considered a justification for their ill-intentioned plan to deprive it of CSW membership.

Following this adoption, the United Nations and its principal organs and the core value of democracy were attacked by the US through undermining the principles of the UN Charter and manipulating the ECOSOC rules of procedures and practices. In its letter to the Secretary-General as well as the ECOSOC and CSW members, Iran warned about the peril of offering this platform to the US to set such a novel precedent that lacks a legal basis.

Tragically, the UN, as an organization created for multilateralism is hosted by a country that strives for exclusivity, supremacy, unilateralism, international bullying, and intimidation as part of its foreign policy agenda. Systematic instrumentalization and exploitation of the UN's principal organs, including the General Assembly, Security Council, and now ECOSOC, is being carried out by this government.

The United States is a country that has recently sought to undermine the role and competence of the NGO Committee, which has not even ratified the core international human rights treaties, including the CRC, CESCR, and CRPD, which provides ongoing and illegitimate support for the Israeli regime that has decades of track record of violence against Palestinian women and girls, which is blamed for the current situation of Afghan women and girls following its withdrawal from Afghanistan, and which imposes enduring challenges exacerbated by the illegal and inhuman unilateral coercive measures against Iranians, including Iranian women and girls. Even more so, the Permanent Representative of the United States in the neighbor chamber advocates for multilateralism while simultaneously sacrificing it here in this chamber.

As we have previously stated, this political adventure is not in the interests of either ECOSOC, CSW, or Iranian women and girls.

Those countries whose interests are tied to the US's interventionist foreign policy must be on guard from this meeting on. As soon as this boat that we built together is drilled, with a hole inserted by some, there will be no time to choose between being a victim or a survivor. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This journey commenced by the US can be continued by targeting any other member state, not just on women`s rights but on any other matters.

Madam President,

How can we trust their rhetoric about women's rights while they restricted the avenue provided for cooperation and sharing experiences and best practices through the CSW.

Iran has participated and engaged constructively in the CSW sessions as a member and non-member before, and will be genuinely committed to the rights and dignity of women and girls as always. Our efforts to promote and protect women's rights are driven by our rich culture and well-established Constitution and is based on our cultural and ethical values and particular national policies, laws, and regulations.

Just a cursory look at the advancement of Iranian women and girls and their status in various fields, from education, health, economic independence, political participation, media, and sport to pursuing their civil rights, can lead you to perceive Iran away from prejudice, as a progressive society that takes into consideration the needs and listens to the voices of its women and girls eagerly and strives toward a better future for and with its women and girls.

But, Madam President, I should underscore that my delegation condemns any politicization of women's rights and rejects whole the falsehoods and accusations made, in particular by the US and and certain EU members in this meeting regarding the recent events in Iran that such activities are not considered as exercising the right to peaceful assembly. As the closest allies of the US are committing the gravest atrocities in our recent history, they continue to stay on the safe side of this political show. Perhaps this is the high time for them to quit this futile show and deal faithfully with their dark human rights issues. They can never blur reality.

In light of the fact the US, EU, UK, Canada, and some other countries continue to forge the reality, I would like to draw your attention to the systematic and systemic racial discrimination in these countries that impacts a significant number of people, including women and girls of African-American, Muslim and indigenous, be it in the workplace, courts, media, digital platforms, or their everyday life. These countries also support rioters in other independent countries under the pretext of protecting human rights. They interfere with the internal affairs of sovereign states while violating the UN Charter.

I do remind the Permanent Representative of Canada to take a serious look at their treatment of indigenous peoples, and their dark history of ethnic cleansing of poor native children and the torture they did at the site of its residential schools.

In addition, a representative of an apartheid regime in our region is also among them to advise us on human rights, particularly after a woman journalist was recently shot and killed by its occupation forces.

It`s astounding that the Israeli regime, with the systematic apartheid combined with raids, occupation, colonization, intimidation, and the unlawful and inhumane siege which continues unabated with the unconditional support of the U.S. and other western countries, is lecturing us on women`s rights. A long-standing CSW resolution entitled "Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women" has documented this regime's unlawful acts and the Secretary-General reports accordingly. In addition, the ECOSOC itself, during its July to July sessions, under agenda item 16 considers “Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. With that, I would like to ask you, as ECOSOC members, why the US`s concerns over women`s rights are surprisingly ignored in these cases but highlighted in the case of Iran.

By witnessing such hypocrisy, double-standard, and selectivity in the behavior and practice of the US and its allies, Iranian women and girls are pondering who the real women`s rights defenders are.

I thank you Madam President”