UN Authority Figures

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Executive Committee: Iran

Iran is recruiting Afghan refugees to fight in Syria on behalf of the Assad regime. At least one 16-year-old Iran-based Afghan refugee was killed in Syria earlier this autumn. Source: The Guardian November 5, 2015

Mission of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees: "The High Commissioner for Refugees is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. UNHCR's primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. In its efforts to achieve this objective, UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, and to return home voluntarily." (UNHCR Website, "Mission Statement")

Iran's Term of office: 1955-

Iran's Record on Refugees:
"Refugees faced restrictions on in-country movement. According to the UN special rapporteur's October 2013 report, authorities prohibited Afghan nationals from residing in 16 of the country's 31 provinces and in parts of 13 other provinces... While the government reportedly has a system for providing protection to refugees, the UNHCR did not have any information as to how the country made asylum determinations... the government does not recognize marriages between irregular migrants and citizens leaving many children born out of such marriages without a birth certificate and depriving them of educational opportunities and health care. In December 2013 the head of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants' Affairs reportedly said that Afghan children lacking legal documents could not register in schools... There were more than 32,000 children without refugee identification cards in 2013, making them effectively stateless and subject to inconsistent government policies."
(U.S. State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2014, Iran)