151 Representatives Request Rouhani to Halt Implementation of UNESCO Document

A group of parliament members has issued a letter asking Hassan Rouhani to stop the implementation of UNESCO's 2030 document. According to the 'House of the Nation' website, the text of the letter from 151 representatives to the President of Iran was read in the open session of parliament on Tuesday, June 13. The signatories of this letter stated that since the UNESCO 2030 document has not been approved by parliament, it has no 'credibility.' They also wrote that considering Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's opinion regarding the cancellation of the implementation of this document, they expect Rouhani to officially revoke it. The parliament members requested Rouhani to officially announce the cancellation of this document 'in accordance with the implementation of part 1 of clause a of article 63 in the Sixth Development Plan.' The UNESCO educational document for 2030, known as the 2030 Agenda, emphasizes issues such as ensuring equal and inclusive education, environmental protection, gender equality, and equal social opportunities for women and men, human rights, and eliminating discrimination against minorities. Eradicating infectious diseases, inclusive education, gender equality, eliminating discrimination, and efforts to address climate change are among the main focuses of this document. However, some conservatives have fiercely attacked Hassan Rouhani and his government, claiming that this document promotes the teaching of homosexuality in schools. Meanwhile, the text of the document refers to raising awareness among adolescents, especially girls, about preventing sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and preventing early pregnancies among girls and their associated risks. The draft of this document was presented in 2015 in Incheon, South Korea, and Iran accepted it conditionally. However, the announcement of the signing of this document by Rouhani's government initially faced opposition from a group of conservatives and their media, and after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's public opposition to it, the wave of attacks and criticisms against Rouhani's government in this regard increased compared to the past. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran criticized the 'quiet implementation' of the UNESCO 2030 document in May, stating that the Cultural Revolution Council 'should have been careful and should not have allowed things to progress to the point where we are now forced to stop it.' This document and its related controversies also became a tool for attacking Rouhani's government during the presidential election campaign, and Rouhani at that time stated that false reports had been sent to the leader regarding this document and that 'leaflets' had been distributed in villages. Recently, the Instagram page of the clergy published an image of the government's resolution regarding this document, indicating that the office of the Supreme Leader and other authorities were aware of this resolution. The controversy surrounding the 2030 document in recent weeks has even led to the arrest of some Basij student activists who criticized the government's performance in this regard. Ahmad Azadikhah, a representative from Malayer in parliament, reported on Tuesday in an interview with Fars News Agency about the arrest of 'two more student activists at Malayer University' in this regard. According to Mr. Azadikhah, 'these two student activists, who criticized the government's performance regarding the UNESCO 2030 document in forums and student meetings, were arrested following a complaint from the officials of Malayer University.' He had also reported the arrest of two other student activists due to criticism of the government the day before. Ali Motahari, a member of the parliament's presiding board, also criticized the 'controversies' surrounding this document, stating that 'the 2030 document is a recommendation that UNESCO has provided as an independent organization.' According to Mr. Motahari, the UNESCO 2030 document is not something that 'threatens the country,' and there was no need for all this 'controversy' about it.