November 2, 2010
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned independent women’s rights activist, feminist and human rights advocates, respectfully urge you to protect the credibility of the new agency called UN Women. Including Iran as a member of the executive board will not only raise concerns over obstructing the work of this agency, but will also result in disengagement and distrust of the women in Iran, the Middle East, and globally as it pertains to the work of the new UN Women. UN Women was hailed and raised hope for the UN to engage in more efficient work to continue to further gender equality, the advancement of women, and accountability of member states to respect the human rights and dignity of millions of women around the world.
On April 28th 2010, Iran was elected again by acclamation to the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – the UN entity that is charged with global policy-making devoted to gender equality and the advancement of women.
In late October 2010, reports surfaced that Iran and Saudi Arabia, both of which have been criticized by women’s rights and gender equality activists globally for the countries’ records on women’s rights, are on track to join the board of a new U.N. Women agency devoted to women. Including countries with the worst track records as related to women and gender quality WILL NOT further the mission and vision of UN Women to “achieve the goals of UN Women to elimination of discrimination against women and girls, empowerment of women and achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security”.
Whereas Iran has a number discriminatory laws against women and girls including but not limited articles of Family Law;
Whereas Iranian women deprived of the institutions to protect their human rights and dignity;
Whereas Iran is not a signatory to the Convention of Eliminations of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW);
Whereas in all the 12 areas of concerns of Beijing Platform of Action, Iran has dismal record and not only failed to meet the goals set at the Fourth UN Global Conference in Beijing for advancement of women but has regressed in the protecting the rights of women and girls;
Whereas Iran has taken specific steps to deter women’s progress and institute regressive policies against gender equality.
We would like to express our deepest concerns to the inclusion of Iran in the executive board of UN Women.
Respectfully Yours,
– Frauen Tribunal e.V. (Hamayesh-e Zanan-e Irani)
– Iranischer Frauenverein PARTO e.V.
– Iranisch-Deutscher Frauenverein Köln e. V.
– Frauenprojekt des Vereins iranischer Flüchtlinge in Berlin e.V.
– L,Association des femmes Iraniennes de Montreal
– womensrights Kvinnors rätts organisation
– International Solidarity Network with Iranian Women’s Movement
