E/CN.4/2005/85/Add.2 page 5 Introduction 1. At the invitation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants undertook an official mission to that country from 22 to 29 February. 2. In Tehran, the Special Rapporteur met with representatives, at the Director-General level, from the relevant directorates and units of the following ministries: the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour. The Special Rapporteur met with representatives of Afghan migrants, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as representatives of United Nations agencies and programmes, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The Special Rapporteur also met with representatives of Afghan migrants and NGOs. 3. Owing to an accident that occurred during her mission, the Special Rapporteur’s programme was slightly modified. With the explicit consent of the Iranian authorities, the Special Rapporteur requested the staff member of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) accompanying her on mission to undertake a one-day visit to Mashed on her behalf. Accordingly, and with the full cooperation and assistance of the Iranian regional authorities, the staff member visited a refugee camp and a detention centre for migrants in Khourastan Province. 4. At the outset, the Special Rapporteur would like to extend her appreciation to the Iranian authorities for the cooperation and assistance extended to her throughout the mission. She would also like to thank representatives of the international organizations, NGOs, academic institutions and migrants with whom she met during her mission. This report describes the facts observed and the information received by the Special Rapporteur during her visit. I. INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK 5. Iran is a State party to four United Nations human rights treaties: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified on 13 July 1994; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, ratified on 29 August 1968; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both ratified on 24 June 1975. When examining the periodic report of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 12 and 13 August 2003, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted that the status of the Convention in the State party’s domestic law was unclear and wished to know whether the Convention had been endorsed by the Guardian Council. The Committee further noted that the Convention had never been invoked in domestic courts (CERD/C/163/CO/6, para. 10). 6. Iran has also ratified other human rights related treaties such as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, ratified on 28 July 1976; the 1967 Protocol to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (28 July 1976); the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and