“Iran is a founding Member State of the United Nations,” said Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson in remarks to Iranian officials and other diplomats at an event yesterday in the Iranian capital.
“Your country, through the Tehran Declaration of 1943, is closely associated with the birth of the Organization. So, our celebration today has historic roots in your country.”
Eliasson noted that Iran and the UN have cooperated in many areas, and that one of the country’s most important contributions has been to host one of the largest refugee populations in the world over the past three decades.
“We are grateful to Iran for receiving millions of Afghans, and for its close cooperation with the UN refugee agency,” he stated. “With the current refugee crises in the Middle East and Africa, we see a growing challenge to mobilise greater solidarity and to offer constructive solutions.”
He also highlighted important strides made by the country in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which wrap up at the end of the year.
“Per capita income has doubled since 1980,” Eliasson pointed out.
He said, “Life expectancy has risen considerably. School enrolment is rising. Women now make up more than half of all university students in the country. Iran is one of the few countries to have reached the MDG on maternal mortality and is on track to substantially reduce child mortality.”
Meanwhile, he stressed that Iran, like many nations, still faces significant challenges, in areas related to employment, environmental protection, human rights and ensuring space for civil society and the media to play their vital roles.
“One area of particular importance is the need to create opportunities for young people – especially jobs,” he said.
He added, “Iran, like many other countries, must make special efforts to use the demographic opportunity of a large youth population. Youth unemployment is a huge challenge in today’s world – with important social, economic and political ramifications.”
He also warned that the political situation across the region remains deeply troubling, with the crises in Syria, Yemen and Iraq continuing to cause tremendous suffering and instability.
“Regional rivalries are fuelling the crises,” the Deputy Secretary-General cautioned.
He added, “Extremist groups continue to attract recruits and control territory, terrorising large parts of the population on ethnic or religious grounds. In Syria and Yemen, it is urgent to move rapidly towards cessation of hostilities and a serious political process and negotiated solutions.”
He added that “tragically, resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict still remains a central task and challenge for all of us as a matter of justice and long term peace and security,” and that Iran has considerable influence in the region.
“We at the United Nations continue the dialogue with Iran on how it can contribute to regional peace and security,” he declared.
He added, “My own visit to Tehran is an example of such a dialogue.”
Eliasson said he is hopeful that new avenues to peaceful conditions will open, now that there has been a “historic” agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries [China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States], welcomed by a great majority of Member States.
“That agreement showed the immense value of patient and skilful diplomacy. I am confident that the same spirit can be mobilised to address other troubling issues and situations. We all have an interest in peace and security in the region,” he noted.
He also recalled that Iranian President Rouhani was among the many world leaders who came to UN Headquarters in New York last month to show his personal support for the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted universally by Member States.
“We count on the Government of Iran to turn the new Agenda into action at the national level, and to adapt the global goals to national economic planning,” he stated, adding that the UN system in Iran stands ready to assist the country in every way possible in this endeavour.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin
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