UN Authority Figures

UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Governing Council: Iran


Iranian authorities have escalated their persecution of religious minorities since the election of President Hassan Rouhani despite his promises to grant them more rights, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Photo: Baha'i home arsoned in Kerman, Iran.
Source: The Washington Free Beacon, May 13, 2015

Mission of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT): "Habitat's mandate was strengthened and its status elevated to a fully-fledged programme in the UN system, giving birth to UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.... It is through this structure and mandate that UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote sustainable development. " (UN-HABITAT website, "Our Mission")
"UN-HABITAT's Land and Tenure Section ... helps governments, local authorities and civil society partners around the world develop land management and tenure systems, policies and legislation that help achieve adequate shelter, security of tenure and equal access to economic resources for all, with a specific focus on gender equality. The main focus areas and mandate are: Implementation of land, housing and property rights, particularly women's secure tenure, affordable land management systems and pro-poor flexible types of tenure. " (UN-HABITAT website, "Land, Tenure & Property Administration")

Iran's Term of office: 2015-2018

Iran's Record on Sustainable Human Settlements:
"The constitution allows the government to confiscate property acquired illicitly or in a manner not in conformity with Islamic law. The government appeared to target religious minorities in invoking this provision. There were several reports during the year of authorities evicting and seizing the property of members of the Baha'i community without due process... The government disproportionately targeted minority groups, including Kurds, Arabs, Azeris, and Baluchis... These groups reported political and socioeconomic discrimination, particularly in their access to ... housing and land rights." (US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2014, Iran)

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