Islamic Republic of Iran
Positions for the General Assembly Plenary
I. Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites in Conflict Zones
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Islamic Republic of Iran is deeply committed to the protection of cultural heritage sites inside and outside of conflict zones with an affinity to protecting sites trapped within the nucleus of war. The destruction of cultural heritage sites in the region has proven especially troubling to our Republic due to its proximity to our land and to its direct effect on our close allies: Syria and Iraq. The most challenging task in combating the destruction of cultural heritage sites is discovering ways to deter and punish those that are guilty of desecrating these sites. Non-state actors, specifically extremist organizations, are strategically attacking points of historical significance to challenge and undermine the authority of the international community.These actors need to be stopped. It is our goal within this committee to further define the nature of cultural heritage property, define what constitutes ‘destruction’ of such property, and create absolute and clear criminal consequences for these actors. It is time that state sovereignty, state security, cultural security, and international camaraderie end the threat of rogue actors who feel they are outside of the law and use cultural heritage destruction as a tool of war. Creating legal guidance and precedence will assist in this goal.Internationally, our republic’s efforts have been aligned with the First and Second Protocols of The Hague Convention and all reaffirming contemporary legislation that progresses international efforts to protecting cultural heritage sites and intensifying the criminal punishment for those responsible for such destruction. We have been avid supporters of the UN’s - specifically UNESCO’s – efforts in establishing and protecting Cultural Heritage Sites, and are particularly inspired in by the Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2347. Nationally, we created the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization (ICHO) in 1986; last year marked the organization’s 30th anniversary. During these 30 years we have successfully utilized the committee to protect and promote Iran’s cultural heritage. We have also taken this time to perform maintenance on our cultural heritage sites, allowing us to educate others about our heritage. Iranian culture is beautifully rich, and our cultural heritage is as well. Without these sites, our marvelous past and formidable future would not be easy to demonstrate to our future generations or to the rest of the world, which is an important goal of ours as we reenter the international community. While we maintain independence within our culture, we understand the pride that our close allies, Syria and Iraq, feel about their own cultural heritage, and we have already been assisting them in combatting violent groups that pose athreat to their existence, security, and cultural heritage. Regionally, it has been devastating to witness the destruction of cultural heritage sites within the borders of our close allies: Syria and Iraq. Such destruction demonstrates the need for clear criminal punishments for those responsible for such demolition. Defacing of cultural property is also committed through the stealing and manipulation of resources and items extracted from cultural property, for the purpose of profiting off of the black market. It is our responsibility –all states within the region – to monitor suspicious traffic within our borders with the goal of locating, halting, and prosecuting all illegal transactions. We call upon our neighbors to assist us in creating a coalition for the purpose of monitoring suspicious activity within our borders and sharing intelligence with member states to achieve this goal. Collective action is necessary for combatting a mutual threat.
II. Addressing the Global Economic Effects of Natural Disasters
Due to Iran's geographical location in Southwest Asia on the world dry belt, it has become a disaster-prone area faced with 31 of the 40 classified natural disasters. According to global estimates, The Islamic Republic of Iran is placed on the list of the top ten countries facing devastating natural disasters. Despite our hardships, our veteran experience with events, such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, and droughts has demonstrated high proficiencies in natural disaster preparedness and relief. Our highly developed model could be a benefit for nations worldwide who share in our trials, and desire to strive for improvements to benefit their people. In the past thirty years, Iran has had over eleven major earthquakes ranging above 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit our country, followed by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in 2005. To combat these powerful natural disasters, we continue to workalongside the United Nations to implement building codes and general public education and safety. We have implemented the safe school policy, which has made over 1,000 city schools structurally sound and specifically designed to uphold through natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides. This project has mainly been focused on Tehran, but is active throughout our rural areas as well. On average we are conducting 30,000 projects yearly in the section of infrastructure. We have achieved success through implementing a national committee through the legislative branch to assist in natural disaster reduction, budgeting 5% of our national budget towards the Iranian National Committee for Natural Disaster. Iran has been one of the global leaders in this, being the first to implement a national committee. This model provides federal funding for research, public education, building infrastructure codes, and international cooperation. The ministry has utilized the NCNDR to provide public education through distributing over 43,500 posters on "What to Do in the Event of an Earthquake." We have also worked towards public education and research through establishing a M.A. level degree in crisis management with the cooperation of Tehran University. In 2006, we utilized our building codes to assist Beirut in Lebanon in rebuilding their city after the devastating aftermath of their war. We have actively participated in the UN, under UNISDR by attending seven of the major conferences on natural disaster preparedness, and holding several conferences in our own country. We would like to discuss our implementation of the NCNDR with our global partners, and any other country that shares in our plight. In the past, we have actively participated with the UN's global natural disaster reduction plan, and would like to continue to collaborate with anyone interested in obtaining a higher learning on natural disaster reduction. With this taken into consideration, we welcome assistance in developing a more advanced and technological disaster information system. It would be vital for us to obtain accurate information collected by satellite. It is our goal to access advanced and successful information on techniques in the areas of early-warning prevention, relief, and reconstruction, while also working to establish a regional network for the exchange of information. In closing, our interest in global natural disaster reduction has proven extensive and successful. To continue to reduce the economic and social problems resulting from natural disasters, we invite our global community to assist and benefit from our research and programs towards natural disaster prevention, education, and reaction. We look forward to continue discussion amongst the UN, and a pursuit for others seeking higher learning.