The UN Women’s Commission or the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women removed Iran from its board of members on Wednesday, December 14. The resolution was initiated by the United States following the massive protests in Iran.
In a historic first, the country was ousted from the commission after 29 countries voted in favor, 16 abstained, and eight voted against. While the US and its allies voted for it, Russia and China voted against it. India, Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Mexico, chose to abstain. Following this, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted the resolution drafted and proposed by the US resulting in Iran’s removal from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
In the document, the US has pointed out that the Iranian government is violating the freedom of speech and expression and the human rights of women. The document also pointed at the liberal misuse of force to regularly silence the dissident voices.
Iranian protests against the Women’s Commission
The Iranian protests acted as the catalysts behind this action. Iranian citizens have been protesting on various grounds such as economic crisis, water shortage, internet cutoff, and women’s liberty for a very long time, since at least 2017. The latest in this series of protests erupted in September 2022. It was sparked by the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in custody. She had been arrested by the Guidance Patrol for violating Iran’s mandatory hijab law.
Following this, during the protests, 16-year-old Nika Shakarami’s family was informed of her death after her disappearance under suspicious circumstances. The Iranian authorities detained several other women and protestors as well. Some of the protestors were also executed. These names include Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard.
What is UN Women’s Commission?
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), or simply the UN Women’s Commission is a body under the purview of the UN Economic and Social Council. It aims to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. Established in 1946, it was meant to draw attention to women’s rights and concerns within the UN.
It contains a proportional geographical representation of members: 13 African, 11 Asian, 9 Latin American and Caribbean, 8 Western European and other States, and 4 Eastern European members. In April 2017, 13 new members were elected to CSW by ECOSOC for a four-year term of 2018-2022. The newly included members included Iran and Saudi Arabia. Both these countries, especially Saudi Arabia, have been severely criticized for their inferior and property-like treatment of women. Iran was expelled from the UN Women’s Commission following a resolution initiated by the US.
Reactions
Iranian pro-democracy activists are welcoming and celebrating Iran’s expulsion from the UN Women’s Commission. Roya Boroumand, an Iranian rights activist, expressed her approval of the move. She tweeted, “Iranian women were heard!” Another Iranian researcher on freedom of speech, Mahsa Alimardani, called it a historic move and an indication from the international community that “the Islamic Republic’s crimes will not be tolerated.”
But several concerns were also raised about “a dangerous precedent” that the US move has set. According to Richard Gowen, the UN director at the International Crisis Group, the vote was unprecedented and thus made a lot of countries skeptical. The US has also been accused of pressuring other countries into voting against Iran.
