Following the violent protests in Iran during the autumn of 2022 and repeated human rights abuses carried out by the Iranian government, a core group of Iceland and Germany called for the establishment of an independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to gather critical information regarding the state of human rights within the country. The resolution was approved by the Council, and the aforementioned commission issued an official report in March. The report sheds light on the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, especially that of women and girls, and its findings further highlight the importance of the continued monitoring of the FFM in an effort to hold the Iranian government accountable for its actions and draw attention to repeated human rights violations taking place in the country.The resolution was formally approved at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, which commenced at the end of February and concludes later today. Opening with a ministerial week during which Foreign Minister Bjarni Benediktsson delivered a speech. The session delved into pressing global issues, including the conflict at the bottom of the Mediterranian and Russia’s ongoing invasion in Ukraine. Furthermore, the dire state of human rights in developing nations across the globe was prevalent throughout the session.
The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution that addresses the situation of human rights in Iran. The resolution was led by Iceland in collaboration with a core group comprising Germany, North-Macedonia, the United Kingdom and Moldova, and ensures the continued mandate of the Special Rapporteur to monitor and report regularly on the human rights situation in Iran. Additionally, it extends the activities of the independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.
In addition to spearheading the resolution on human rights in Iran, Iceland played an active role throughout the session, delivering over thirty speeches, both independently and in close collaboration with the Nordic Baltic countries which regularily deliver speeches on behalf of the eight countries. All speeches can be accessed on the website of the Permanent Mission of Iceland in Geneva.
