Iran slams ‘dual approach’ to human rights, urges focus on UN monitoring process

An Iranian envoy to the United Nations has called on the world countries to abandon a hypocritical approach to the issue of human rights, and instead pay attention to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a state-driven process under the auspices of the Human Rights Council (HRC).

Zahra Ershadi, deputy permanent representative of Iran to the UN, made the remarks on Friday, during a special hearing at the General Assembly, where the annual report of the HRC was presented.

She said that the protection and promotion of rights should be a common cause, adding the Islamic Republic welcomes genuine and non-political concerns about human rights, as well as dialog and cooperation based on mutual respect.

She also underlined the need for UN member states to respect the diversity of civilizations and development paths independently chosen by countries, and not impose their own social system on others.

Ershadi further expressed concerns about the greed of certain countries to target independent nations with resolutions, warning that such documents are harmful and pose a serious threat to human rights goals.

“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates that the instrumental and selective use of human rights and the adoption of a dual approach should be abandoned once and for all, and instead, attention should be paid to human rights mechanisms such as the UPR,” she said.

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Moreover, the Iranian envoy reaffirmed her opposition in principle to the non‑recognition of country mandates established under the Human Rights Council’s special procedures. 

“Iran … will continue its real interaction with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and other competent human rights mechanisms of the United Nations with the aim of cooperation to protect and promote human rights," she pointed out.

"In addition to fulfilling its international obligations to help promote and protect human rights on a global scale, the Islamic Republic focuses on serving the Iranian people, deepening the democratic system of the government and institutionalizing the country's rights achievements."

Also in her comments, Ershadi condemned unilateral acts of coercion that violate the principles of the UN Charter, international law, multilateralism and the fundamental norms of international relations.

Such coercive measures, she noted, were designed to prevent people’s access to medicines and deplete Iran's resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She further stressed the important role of the Human Rights Council “in confronting and dealing with the evil waves of racism, violent extremism and terrorism. The HRC has a key role in raising global awareness about the vicious movements of extremism and terrorism.”

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