Concluding Observation Committee on the Rights of the Child CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4 para
76
Full recommendation:
The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to further reduce poverty
and extreme poverty, in particular in provinces populated by ethnic minorities, such as Sistan
and Baluchestan, Khuzestan and Kurdistan. The Committee recommends that the State party
take immediate steps, inter alia by increasing budgetary allocations, to improve housing and
living conditions in regions with ethnic minorities, including the provision of access to safe
drinking water, adequate sanitation, electricity, transportation facilities, schools and health-care
centres.
Assessment using Impact Iran human rights indicators1
A. Strengthen efforts to further reduce poverty and extreme poverty, in particular in
provinces populated by ethnic minorities, such as Sistan and Baluchestan,
Khuzestan and Kurdistan.
According to Article 19 of the 1979 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (“Iran”), “[a]ll
people of Iran, whatever the ethnic group or tribe to which they belong, enjoy equal rights; color,
race, language, and the like, do not bestow any privilege”. Article 20 and Article 31 of the
Constitution respectively emphasize that “[a]ll citizens of the country […] enjoy all human,
political, economic, social, and cultural rights, in conformity with Islamic criteria” and “[e]very
Iranian individual and family is entitled to a dwelling appropriate to its needs.” These laws
seemingly guarantee access for all Iranians to adequate living conditions free from poverty,
including ethnic minorities.
There are no publicly available official poverty estimates for Iran, with some domestic experts
estimating it based on certain figures such as the minimum expenses of a family of 4, which
changes frequently. Therefore, the World Bank has measured poverty in Iran using the
international upper middle-income poverty line of $5.50, expressed in US dollars at the 2011
PPP (per day per capita). 2 Reportedly, poverty fell in Iran between 2009 and 2013 by 5
percentage points to about 8 percent, before increasing to 12.9 percent in 2017.3
1
ESCR.11.1.S.1; ESCR.11.1.S.3; ESCR.12.1.S.1; ESCR.12.2.4.S.1; ESCR.11.1.P.2; ESCR.11.1.P.3; ESCR.12.1.P.1;
ESCR.12.1.P.6; ESCR.11.1.O.5; ESCR.11.1.O.1; ESCR.12.2.4.O.1
2
https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/poverty/987B9C90-CB9F-4D93-AE8C750588BF00QA/AM2020/Global_POVEQ_IRN.pdf
3
https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/poverty/987B9C90-CB9F-4D93-AE8C750588BF00QA/AM2020/Global_POVEQ_IRN.pdf
1