Admittedly, the State has taken a number of measures aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of its citizens and to some extent children. These measures include the adoption of the Charter of Citizenship Rights, decreed by the President in 2016, which functions as an nonenforceable administrative mechanism aiming at ensuring the implementation of the principles, values, norms and laws stipulated in the Constitution.3 The Charter refers to a number of child rights, including the right to education, but does not mention children in disadvantaged and marginalized situations. Under its Sixth National Development Plan, the Government adopted a number of measures to invest and improve various sectors of the Iranian society, including housing. The Plan provides with a number of obligations. For instance “all executive organizations are obligated to incorporate gender justice in all their plans and programs.” 4 Admittedly, some of the provisions under the Plan may lead to the development of State policies, strategies and plans of action that could improve the situation of children in disadvantaged and marginalized situations, and to some extent provide them with better opportunities. For instance, on the basis of such plan, the Government “is obliged to increase child food protection, to increase protection of children with no guardian, orphans and street children (Article 78), and to organize and reduce street children and child laborers.” However, there is no specific obligations under the National Development Plan for plans and programs to address in particular the rights of children in disadvantaged and marginalized situations nor specific provisions to ensure that such State initiatives are aimed at providing them with equal opportunities in all areas of life and at improving their situation. The Government adopted a number of plans and programmes targeting rural areas of the Islamic Republic of Iran, aiming notably at reducing poverty and support development in these areas.5 Such plans include the Iran’s 20-year Vision Plan, the Law on Permanent Orders of the National Development Plans, and the Law on Economic, Social and Cultural Development Programs. However, these plans do not address in particular the rights of children living in rural and lessdeveloped areas. In terms of education however, the State has adopted the “Document on the Fundamental Transformation of Education System” which states that “ensuring access to appropriate education in all regions of the country, regardless of race and gender, with emphasis on the education of girls and vulnerable groups in less-developed, rural and nomadic regions, is among the most important objectives of the country”. As such, it may provide some extent of framework to ensure that State’s policies, strategies and plans pertaining to education, address in particular 3 Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Islamic Republic of Iran, 2019, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/43/12 4 Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Islamic Republic of Iran Addendum, 2019, https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/43/12/Add.1 5 National Report, Islamic Republic of Iran, UPR 2019, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/WG.6/34/IRN/1 2