A/HRC/43/20 humanitarian aid.134 The Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council stated that “sanctions have a crippling effect on refugees, the poorest and on the humanitarian work we do for the most vulnerable”.135 The Council reportedly failed to convince banks to transfer funds to support its work with disaster victims and Afghan refugees, jeopardizing their programme in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the absence of banking channels, many humanitarian organizations have resorted to the cumbersome hawala system, an informal remittance network with increased transaction costs. 136 57. Sanctions have affected relief efforts throughout 2019, partly due to reported delays faced by United Nations and other humanitarian agencies in obtaining licences dispensed by the United States Government for the import of essential items. Although most United Nations entities have obtained the required licences as at October 2019, the combined effect of the delays in international procurement processes, difficulties in replenishing local accounts and limitations on financial transactions have created operational challenges to respond to the population’s increasing needs. The limited capacity of the United Nations and its humanitarian and implementing partners to deliver timely and high-quality services affects the most vulnerable, including women, children, low-income families, victims of natural disasters, migrants and refugees. 58. The Islamic Republic of Iran continued to host almost 1 million refugees, largely from Afghanistan, as well as 450,000 Afghans holding valid passports and 1.5 to 2 million undocumented Afghans, of which 800,000 have been registered. Most refugees reside in cities and towns across the country, rather than in camps. All children, regardless of their legal status, have access to the national education system, and refugees can enrol in the national health insurance system and acquire access to medical care. The current economic difficulties have also had an impact on the living conditions of refugees in the country. International support through humanitarian funding and resettlement opportunities for refugees has greatly reduced. III. Cooperation with international human rights mechanisms and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights A. Cooperation with the human rights treaty bodies 59. The Secretary-General encourages the Islamic Republic of Iran to submit outstanding periodic reports, including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which have been overdue since 2013, 2014 and 2018, respectively. In its comments on the present report, the Government indicated its intention to submit the reports shortly. The Secretary-General also encourages the Government to comply with the follow-up mechanisms of the treaty bodies and to provide the information sought on the implementation of recommendations made in concluding observations. B. Cooperation with the universal periodic review 60. A high-level delegation from the Islamic Republic of Iran, led by the Secretary of the High Council for Human Rights, Mohammad Javad Larijani, participated in the interactive dialogue of the review of the country in the context of the third cycle of the 134 135 136 16 See www.nrc.no/news/2019/august2/aid-work-in-iran-at-risk-due-to-u.s.-sanctions/. See www.nrc.no/news/2019/august2/aid-work-in-iran-at-risk-due-to-u.s.-sanctions/; and www.nrc.no/opinions-all/in-trump-iran-showdown-afghan-refugees-are-neglected-but-devastatingcollateral-damage/. See www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/29/maximum-pressure/us-economic-sanctions-harm-iranians-righthealth.