proficiency test, although Farsi is their second language.31 Furthermore, Kurdish language teachers have experienced harassment and persecution.32 Low levels of development in regions populated by ethnic minorities are also linked with a lack of access to healthcare services, goods and facilities. Despite an increase in the number of medical centers in the last few decades, many rural areas and villages – often populated by ethnic minority populations – still lack adequate medical facilities. In the whole of Sistan and Baluchestan province, which has a population over 2,775,014 people, there are only 21 hospitals, 208 medical clinics, and 109 radiology laboratories.33 Kurdistan province, with a population of 1,603,011 people, has 17 hospitals, 148 medical clinics, and 53 radiology laboratories.34 Overall, provinces such as Sistan and Balouchistand and Kurdistan have low levels of life expectancy, when compared to other regions in Iran.35 Air pollution is another significant issue affecting the lives of many members of ethnic minorities in these regions, with cities such as Ahvaz, Sanandaj and Kermanshah have been marked as heavily polluted by the World Health Organization. Recommendation Status: This recommendation has NOT been implemented. 31 UNPO, https://unpo.org/article/19590 Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from All Human Rights for All in Iran, Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan – Geneva, Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, OutRight International, Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Small Media, Impact Iran, 2020, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_NGO_IRN_42317_E.pdf 33 Annual statistics of each provinces and annual statistics from Iran’s statistics center:<https://www.amar.org.ir/ > 34 Annual statistics of each provinces and annual statistics from Iran’s statistics center: <https://www.amar.org.ir/ > 35 https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Rights-Denied-Violations-against-ethnic-and-religious-minorities-inIran.pdf 32 6