Concluding observation Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights E/C.12/IRN/CO/2 para 10 Full recommendation: The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to address the declining participation of women in the labour force. The Committee recommends that the State party amend the Civil Code and the Family Protection Law with the aim to remove the power of a spouse to prohibit the other spouse from entering employment. The Committee also recommends that the State party take steps to increase the number of women in decision-making and judicial bodies at all levels and in all areas. Assessment using Impact Iran human rights indicators1 A. The Committee recommends that the State party take steps to address the declining participation of women in the labour force The Supreme Administrative Council reportedly decided to require the Government to allocate 30% of the managerial positions to women. Additionally, the Deputy-President for women and family affairs has drafted a document on the promotion of the status of women and the family through identifying the indicators of gender balance, and consultation with the civil society. The Government also established a National Task Force on the Empowerment of Female Heads of Households in the field of development of employment and entrepreneurship. The Government reportedly increased the quota of women in recruitment of government departments and launched the Women's Business Development and Acceleration Center which aims at “strengthening rural women's associations and cooperation” as well as “entrepreneurship development for women”. 2 There is no readily available information as to what extent these measures effectively translated in practice. In fact, recent statistics suggest otherwise: a recent World Bank study ranked Iran fourth lowest in its 2019 Women, Business and the Law index,3 and according to the Government’s statistics published in 2018, female economic participation 1 ESCR.2.2.S.1 ESCR.2.2.P.1 ESCR.6.1.O.1 ESCR.3.P.1 2 UPR 2019, National Report, Islamic Republic of Iran, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/WG.6/34/IRN/1 3 World Bank, Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform, May 2019, p.9 1

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