Arcdh Arc – Association for Human Rights of Azerbaijanis of Iran "ArcDH"
The ArcDH is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), , independent, as well as a non-profit making organization. We are active to defend and promote human rights in of Azerbaijanis in Iranian provinces.
It was founded in March 2010 in France and was registered in the official journal of the country in accordance with the “Law of Associations” 1901.
Standards
The ArcDH follows the best practice procedure in the conduct of its responsibilities as laid down by the appropriate French laws and to this end it adopted its Constitution in 2010. Today, the Association is growing both in quantitative and qualitative terms.
ARCDH also meets regularly with representatives of international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO and NGOs, and seeks to encourage policies and practices in line with better respect for human rights.
Our Approach
Our approach is non-partisan and nonpolitical; we operate within the framework of human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), as well as other conventions, customary international law, and humanitarian law, which happen to be ratified by Iran.
Our Mission
Arc Association for Human Rights “ArcDH” is aspired to defend the rights of the people in Azerbaijani provinces in Iran. We promote respect for human rights to secure justice. We pledge to transform our ideals into a vibrant movement for upholding human dignity and for advancing the cause of human rights for all. We are motivated to promote respect for the dignity of each human being in the world.
Scope of Activities
The ArcDH took off initially as the French-Azerbaijani ArcDH Association but its activities are much wider through collaboration with like-minded organizations and individuals throughout the world, including USA, Germany, UK, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.
The scope of the activities of ArcDH covers the defence of human rights and culture with a focus on Azerbaijani communities throughout the world. Some of our activities are outlined below.
We take the fate of Lake Urmia at our hearts, which is currently at the brink of its very existence due to 90% of the shrinkage of the lake surface area. Sadly, its ecology is now considered dead for a number of years by the intriguing policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran and ineffective international campaigns for not hearing the voice of protesting Azerbaijani environmental activists in Iran. One initiative of the ArcDH on Lake Urmia in 2010 was the formation of representatives of the French and Azerbaijani community attracting academics to provide a scientific lead to explain this manmade catastrophe. The conference was very constructive and provided the basis to the ArcDH to refer the case to the UNESCO for collaboration. Since then the experience shows that all the ongoing initiatives are doomed due to the ambiguous responses of the Iranian authorities. Now we know that the damage to Lake Urmia is very serious for accelerating a wide range of impacts but we know better that this can be reverted as the hydrological cycle remain intact. We live with the hope that rational policymaking will take Lake Urmia under its management to cut off the current deliberate encroachments. The lake will have a good chance then to restore itself to a different ecological reality.
We campaign for official status of Azerbaijani Turkish, equal opportunity in education, high quality education, sustainable development, the welfare of Azerbaijanis children and women in Iran. To this end, we have participated and actively contributed in many conferences organised by the UN and various working groups.
We are included in the consultation parties of UN bodies including the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, the Office of the Secretary General, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the special rapporteur on minority Issues. During consultation periods, we provide our analyses rapport on the situation of the Azerbaijanis in Azerbaijani provinces in Iran.