Arc Association for the Defence of Human Rights of Azerbaijanis of Iran - ArcDH – NGO Consultant to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Fourteenth session of the Forum on Minority Issues 2 and 3 December 2021 Item 3 - Focus on minority rights and effective prevention of conflicts Madam Chair Economic issues, social and cultural rights and the right to development are of crucial importance for the prevention of ethnic conflicts. Language is important for national or ethnic minorities The imposition of a dominant language, such as Persian in Iran, either through teaching in public schools or through formal bans on the use of minority languages, can be the trigger for conflicts, for example in Azerbaijan. In Iran, minorities do not have access to a fair justice system accessible to all, and incitement to hatred is increasingly common on social media. Provinces inhabited by ethnic minorities are marginalized and no economic investments are being made there. Minorities are too often seen as a threat to national security. Arc proposes that the United Nations do everything to oppose policies of assimilation of ethnic minorities and demand the development of inclusive multinational and multicultural policies in Iran. Madam Chair, Turkish Azerbaijani civilian activists are regularly sentenced to terms of imprisonment, flogging and fines for their peaceful protests. For example, Mr. Parviz Siabi, a 74-year-old lawyer, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for supporting the demonstration in southern Iran against the water shortage. We demand justice for Mr Parviz Siabi, Abbas Lisani and Alireza Farshi. Thank you Twitter, Telegram & Instagram: @ArcHumanRights www.arcdh.eu – https://t.me/ARCHUMANRIGHTS - archumanrights@gmail.com