Iran Press/ America: Zahra Ershadi, addressing the 55th Commission on Population and Development called "Population and sustainable development, in particular, sustained and inclusive economic growth," said that the Islamic Republic of Iran as a country that currently hosts more than 5 million refugees, in particular Afghan refugees, has remained dedicated to its humanitarian commitments and providing essential services including education for undocumented Afghan children in Iran.
The full text of Ershadi's statement is as follows as the Website of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran reported.:
Mr. Chairman,
The COVID-19 pandemic has been and continues to be a severely exacerbating situation worsening the vulnerabilities and inequalities within a multitude of societies.
Devastating impact of COVID-19 on humanitarian needs
Furthermore, it has devastatingly impacted sustainable development and humanitarian needs while disrupting economies, employment, working conditions, quality education, health systems, global trade, supply chains, travel, and agricultural, industrial, and commercial systems impacting food prices.
Despite the challenges posed, it has also taught us the significance of combining our efforts and the importance of placing people, especially people in vulnerable situations, at the very center of our responses.
Under the current difficult circumstances arising from COVID-19, Unilateral Coercive Measures also seriously jeopardize the economic growth of the targeted countries and hamper easy access to essential medical items and requirements, thus endangering the lives and health of their citizens.
US sanction on Iran's health system affects refugees
Medicines, medical supplies, and health commodities have been targeted through tight restrictions on foreign exchange resources resulting in the violation of the right to health and the right to life of the affected countries’ populations.
As the representative of a country whose people are subjected to the most brutal and illegitimate unilateral coercive measures, I would like to seize this opportunity to call for the complete and immediate lifting of all measures above to ensure the full achievement of economic and social development as well as enable targeted countries to effectively repair their economies while guaranteeing the well-being of their people in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Despite all the restrictions and pressures caused by the illegal sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken concrete steps to formulate and implement population policies and measures as part of its National Development Plan.
In this connection, priority has been given to increasing the youth population, empowerment, demographic dividend, and demographic windows of opportunity through employing elders' experiences in social and economic development.
At the same time, the health sector in Iran has undergone significant reforms concerning system policies and services to achieve the target of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and improve citizens’ satisfaction with health service provision while enhancing equity.
Special care for refugees' women's Health
In this connection, women, in particular, have been provided with access to all necessary health services, including reproductive health care services, along with economic incentives to support female-headed households.
Iran host to 5 million migrants
As a Country that currently hosts more than 5 million refugees, particularly Afghan refugees, Iran has remained dedicated to its humanitarian commitments and, among other services, has continued to provide the children of undocumented refugees in Iran with the opportunity to receive education in Iranian schools.
As Iranian society faces the prospect of a significant portion of its population aging in the coming decades - in light of previous decades’ strong demographic transitions - the Iranian Government has established a National Council for Older Persons to provide special attention to the elderly population to implement related policies and programs.
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