Arcdh Arc – Association for Human Rights of Azerbaijanis of Iran "ArcDH"
Geneva, September 16, 2025 – In a statement delivered at the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, with the presence of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, the Association for the Human Rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran (ARCDH) highlighted the catastrophic situation of Lake Urmia as a symbol of Iranian authorities’ chronic mismanagement and violation of the fundamental right to water.
Addressing the Council, ARCDH emphasized that the water and environmental situation in Iran, particularly in the Azerbaijani provinces, reflects a deep governance crisis that directly impacts both human rights and ecological sustainability. Despite the recognition of water as a fundamental human right under UN Resolution 64/292 (2010) and Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), millions of Azerbaijanis, especially in western regions bordering Türkiye and Iraq, are facing severe shortages of safe and accessible water.
The statement stressed that the primary cause of Lake Urmia’s disappearance is not climate change but harmful state policies, including excessive dam construction, diversion of inflowing rivers for irrigation, and overexploitation of groundwater resources. Unlike other lakes in the region that remain stable, Lake Urmia has been devastated by destructive human interventions.
ARCDH underlined that portraying this disaster merely as climate-driven downplays state accountability, as the authorities’ decisions have violated principles of non-discrimination, participation, and accountability in water governance. The statement concluded that the Iranian authorities have sacrificed the Azerbaijani people’s right to clean and safe water in pursuit of a misguided food security strategy based on an outdated and unsustainable agricultural system.