Joint Statement of 18 Iranian NGO’s in Consultative Status with ECOSOC on the Occasion...

Now, the question that the Iranian youth ask is: Does the international community stand up for the human rights of Iranian youth?
71 years ago on this day, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted so that all humans regardless of colour, age, religion, race, and gender enjoy freedom, justice, and peace on the basis of equality and inherent dignity.
This year, the potential of youths as constructive agents of change to amplify their voices and to engage a broad range of global audiences in the promotion and protection of rights, made the United Nations pick “Youth Standing up for Human Rights” as this year’s theme. Perhaps the reason behind this choice is that the United Nations knows neither human rights is in good shape nor the youth.
For example, in recent years, the youths of Iran have fully understood the exploitative use of the holy concept of human rights, particularly by the United States. A country which through leaving the Human Rights Council is not even pretending to observe international human rights, and by taking unilateral coercive measures, secondary sanctions and launching economic terrorism, has inflicted harsh blows on the Iranian economy, and almost all Iranian citizens, particularly vulnerable groups such as women, children, the elderly, patients, people with disabilities, victims of chemical weapons and many other groups of people, have faced drugs and medical equipment shortages, lack of suitable nourishment and even unsustainability of jobs, education, and living.

Now, the question that an Iranian youth ask is: Does the international community stand up for the human rights of Iranian youth?
The impact of instances such as imposition of sanctions on many Iranian individuals and entities, not renewing the exemptions on the purchase of Iranian oil, applying punishments to those who purchase oil from this country, the possibility of 50 percent inflation because of the sanctions, banking restrictions effects on citizens’ enjoyment of right to health, complex supervision of all bank transactions and even importing drugs, education costs for Iranian NGOs clients, shortage of foreign currency in Iran to pay foreign companies are all repercussions that have repeatedly been in the reports and documentation of international UN officials.
In spite of aforesaid problems and also the need for the lifting of sanctions from sectors such as medicine, foods and aviation safety services in the order of 3 October 2018 of the International Court of Justice, the United States’ response has been the continuation and even harshening of sanctions which shows that today’s world is inclined to be silent, indifferent, with no explanations towards the grave violation of human rights, and towards power-based interests.
This is while the existence of such trends results to undermine the trust of international community by identifying gaps in the existing mechanisms and their effectiveness.
Now that we observe human rights violations from all corners of the world, human rights defender organizations have an important responsibility for the guarding of human dignity and finding practical solutions for resolving the issues at hand. With this in mind, the NGO that is releasing this statement, while reiterating on the necessity to protect and preserve human dignity, calls on all UN special rapporteurs, human rights defenders and peacekeepers in the world to show their wills for the realization of a world where human rights, human dignity, peace, security, and justice are respected and protected, more than before and by standing up to states who solely impose their will through force against the other 190 UN Member States, to give a new life to the tired and beaten body of human rights which in practice has become politicized.
We, the signatories of this statement, re-affirm our commitment to fortify efforts to improve youth’s hope, health and social trust because we believe it is the only way of empowering the youth to stand up for their own human rights.

1. Abshar Atefeha Charity Institute
2. Disability Association of Tavana
3. Ertegha Keyfiat Zendegi Iranian Charitable Institute
4. Family Health Association of Iran
5. Imam Ali Charity Institution
6. Iran Autism Association
7. Iranian Thalassemia Society
8. Jameh Ehyagaran Teb Sonnati Va Salamat Iranian
9. Maryam Ghasemi Educational Charity Institute
10. Network of Women's Non-Governmental Organizations in the Islamic Republic of Iran
11. Organization for Defending Victims of Violence
12. Peivande Gole Narges Organization
13. Prevention Association of Social Harms
14. Rahbord Peimayesh Research & Educational Services Cooperative
15. Society of Iranian Women Advocating Sustainable Development of Environment
16. The Association of Citizens Civil Rights Protection "Manshour-e Parseh"
17. The Society for Recovery Support
18. Humanitarian Ambassadors NGO