UN Human Rights Council adopts resolution on the situation of human rights in Iran
Iceland’s first session as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council 2025-2027 concluded on 5 April.
Thirty-two resolutions were adopted by the Human Rights Council during the 58th session after six weeks of negotiations. The resolution that addresses the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran put forward by a core group led by Iceland was adopted by vote with broad cross-regional support.
“It is encouraging to see such strong support for the resolution on the human rights situation Iran led by Iceland. By adopting the resolution, the Human Rights Council expresses its support for the people of Iran and offers hope for accountability of the widespread human rights violations and abuses committed in the country,” says the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir. The resolution was adopted by 24 votes in favor, 8 votes against and 15 abstentions.
The resolution renews the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to monitor and report regularly on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition, it extends and expands the mandate of the independent international fact-finding mission (FFM) which Iceland initiated along with Germany, following the death in custody of Jina Mahsa Amini and the subsequent nationwide protests in the autumn of 2022. The fact-finding mission, together with the Special Rapporteur, provides valuable information on the number and nature of human rights violations in Iran, playing a key role in efforts to ensure accountability for those responsible for committing human rights violations and abuses.
The 58th session of the Human Rights Council commenced with a high-level segment where Iceland’s Foreign Minister participated and addressed the Council.
Alongside several joint statements by the Nordic and Baltic states, which work closely together in the Council, Iceland also delivered a few national statements. Additionally, Iceland led and delivered a joint statement on behalf of a cross-regional group of countries calling for the establishment of an independent investigative mechanism with a comprehensive mandate and broad scope to complement the important work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan. All statements delivered by Iceland during this session can be found here.
Further information about Iceland’s membership in the Human Rights Council can be found here.