Statement by H. E. Ambassador Gholamhossein Dehghani   
Deputy Permanent Representativeof the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
at the Fourth Session of the Open Working Group of the General Assembly on Sustainable Development Goals;
Health and Population Dynamics
Tuesday, 19 June 2013

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

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Mr. Co-Chair,

Let me first thank you and the other Co-Chaironce more for convening this meeting of the OWG, which is to focus on “Health” and “Population Dynamics”.
I would also like to join others in appreciating the UN Technical Support Team for providing us with the related “Issues Brief”, and thanking you, Mr. Co-Chairs for the Guiding Questions.

Mr. Co-Chair,

The importance of “Health” as a determinant and an enabler in almost every pillars of sustainable development is a well-elucidated fact. It is also a truism that “promotion of health” should always be seen in tandem with “health risk reduction” in all development policies. Furthermore, in developing health-related targets, the issue of education should also be placed of high importance.
However, in designing the related policies and measures, the specificity of each society and country, including the principle of cultural diversity and cultural sensitivity should be fully observed.
In the same vein, although “health measures” are to be seen as country-specific, knowledge about the linkages between health and global issues such as pollution, climate change, communicable and non-communicable diseases, etc. are vital in terms of utilizing synergies or addressing the challenges ahead of each country.

Mr. Co-Chair,

The illustrative goal for health proposed by the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda can be considered as the starting point for our discussion on this issue, only if we could emphasize more on its means of implementation, including capacity building in terms of information, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting systems, as well as training and financing mechanisms, which indeed should be addressed under unique circumstances of each nation.

Mr. Co-Chair,

Population Dynamics affect almost all development goals including poverty reduction, improving living conditions, consumption and production patterns, employment, social protection, health, education, and so forth. It encompasses a variety of challenges and/or opportunities, from growing population to the change in the population curve, to the most vulnerables, etc.
As it is mentioned in TST Issues Brief, the challenge in reducing poverty and promoting human wellbeing at all national, regional and international levelsare inseparably linked to population patterns and trends.
On this account, my delegation believes that enhancing national capacities to collect and monitor the population data, patterns and trends should be put on the highest priority.
And, it is the responsibility of all countries, individually or in collaboration with the other countries, to address this issue by incorporating the population dynamics into almost all other sustainable development goals throughout the life cycle.

I thank you Mr. Co-Chair,

Press TV -(Wed Jun 19, 2013) Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has stressed the Islamic Republic’s key role in the region, saying regional crises cannot be settled without Iran’s cooperation.

Salehi made the remarks in an interview with Al-Mayadeen TV in reference to the ongoing crisis in Syria. 
The unrest in Syria erupted over two years ago and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence. 
The top Iranian diplomat described the recent events in Syria as “foreign aggression,” adding that regional crises cannot be resolved without Iran’s engagement. 
Iran has repeatedly expressed its opposition to any foreign intervention in Syria’s internal affairs, stressing that inclusive dialog and national reconciliation as well as free elections are the keys to resolving the unrest in the Arab country. 
Salehi further said that Iran has been verbally invited to the Geneva conference on Syria. 
On May 7, Russia and the United States agreed in Moscow to convene an international conference on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting held in June 2012. 
Commenting on Egypt’s decision to cut off diplomatic relations with Syria, Salehi said, “Egypt could have played a great role in resolving the Syrian crisis.” 
On June 16, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi announced his government’s decision to sever ties with Damascus during a speech at a rally in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. 
Salehi also announced Iran’s readiness to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in resolving regional issues.

Press TV -(Wed Jun 19, 2013) Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says Tehran is prepared to further upgrade its mutual relations with Rome and discuss with the Italian government regional developments, including the crisis in Syria.

In a telephone conversation with his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino on Tuesday, Salehi discussed Iran-Italy relations. 
The Iranian foreign minister pointed to Iran’s role in the Middle East, urging both Tehran and Rome to forge ahead with consultations on regional developments. 
Salehi further thanked Italy for its stance on Iran’s 11th presidential election. 
On June 16, Bonino sent a congratulatory message to Iranian President-elect Hojjatoleslam Hassan Rohani and expressed hope for the further expansion of Tehran-Rome relations under his presidency. 
Also on Monday, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano extended his most sincere congratulations to Rohani, calling for stronger relations between Rome and Tehran. 
Hojjatoleslam Rohani emerged victorious in the presidential election of June 14, which was marked by a high voter turnout, winning 50.7 percent of a total of 36,704,156 ballots counted. 
The voter turnout in the election was 72.7 percent, according to Iran’s Interior Ministry. 
Nearly 50.5 million Iranians, including more than 1.6 million first-time voters, were eligible to participate in the presidential, and city and village Islamic council elections.

Press TV -(Wed Jun 19, 2013) Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has set out on a three-nation tour of the Persian Gulf region for talks on bilateral and regional issues.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian left Tehran on Tuesday for the United Arab Emirates on the first leg of his regional tour, which will also take him to Kuwait and Oman. 
The Iranian diplomat is to discuss bilateral ties as well as regional developments, especially the crisis in Syria, during his trip. 
Iran attaches importance to strengthening ties with Mideast countries in order to maintain security in the region. 
Earlier in February 2013, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi stressed the significance of close cooperation among the countries in the Persian Gulf in order to maintain regional security and stability.

Press TV -(Tue Jun 18, 2013) Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ramin Mehmanparast has stressed the importance of expanding cooperation with Indonesia in the media sector.

In a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Abdulrahman Fakhir in Jakarta on Tuesday, Mehmanparast expressed readiness to invite Indonesian media and cultural delegations to Iran in order to establish closer ties between the two nations. 
Mehmanparast, who is also the head of Foreign Ministry’s Center for Public and Media Diplomacy, emphasized on expanding the two countries’ tourism industries and bolstering mutual media cooperation. 
Mehmanparast further referred to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), saying the two countries can use the potential of their membership of NAM, the Group of Eight Developing Countries (D8), and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to help develop cooperation beneficial to Muslim countries. 
The Iranian official also said Iran’s June 14 elections “were held in a perfect transparent atmosphere” despite the Western propaganda ahead of the elections. 
Fakhir congratulated Iran on holding its 11th presidential election and he called for the expansion of bilateral ties between the media sectors of the two countries.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

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Mr. Co-Chair,

Let me first thank you and the other Co-Chair for convening this fourth meeting of the Open Working Group of the General Assembly on Sustainable Development Goals, which is to focus on “Employment and Decent Work”, “Social Protection”, and “Education and Culture”.
I would like to associate myself with the statement made yesterday by the Chair of the G77 and China, and add some points in my national capacity.
I would also like to thank the UN Technical Support Team for their excellent job in providing us with the “TST Issues Brief”, which we have taken good note of, and is in fact creating a kind of “Literature Review” in an academic sense for the delegations, enriched by possible recommendations for the road ahead of us.
Needless to say that the Guiding Questions provided by your Excellencies are very commendable effort in keeping the sessions as focused and viable as possible.
As it is quite clearly explained in the TST Issues Brief, the significance of these issues are very well noted, and my delegation does not intend to reiterate its positions on these points. Therefore, I would like to go straight to the priorities and possible key drivers behind each of the items under consideration in this part of the fourth session of the OWG.

Mr. Co-Chair,

Before entering into the selected issues, it is noteworthy to say that my delegation believes that providing a disaggregated data based on age,gender, and other population dynamics (including ethnic groups, migrants, people with disabilities, etc.) should be considered the first step in the whole process of defining any sustainable development aspect, which requires both financial and technical capacity building at all levels.
As for the “employment and decent work”, the final document of Rio+20 asks for a concise, concrete and action-oriented set of goals, therefore as it is raised in the Issues Brief, it might not be possible to have all important issues as single goals. In this regard, we believe that “employment and decent work” should be a critical aspect of the overarching goal of “Poverty Eradication”.
Accordingly, in order to better address the issue of “employment and decent work”, my delegation maintains that it is required to classify the targets under three categories, which consist of 1) structural features and indicators of labor markets, 2) internal and external systemic issues, 3) cross-linked aspects.
{To save time, Mr. Co-Chair, I am not going into the details of these three segments, but I will hand the full copy of my statement including these details over to the Secretariat}

1- Structural indicators of labor markets: 

o Level of formal and informal jobs, employment and job flexibility
o Level of incomes
o Technological advance, skillfulnessand productivity
o Social protection, including: cash transfers, social services, sickness and health services, disability and old age benefits, maternity protection, employment guarantee and support, etc.
o Household debts
o Other labor standards

2- Internal and external systemic issues:

 o Local Systemic Issues:
 Entrepreneurship and enterprise development, and private sector development
 Urbanization and rural gaps, industry versus agriculture, etc.
 Level of application of environmentally sound technologies
 Investment and financing
 Local Consumption and production patterns
 Disasters and Post-conflict situations

o The main external systemic issue should also to be taken into consideration, are:
 Sound macroeconomic conditions, and international economic environment
 Trade
 Technology transfer
 Foreign investment and finance
 Global Consumption and Production Patterns
 etc.

3- Furthermore, this goal is closely cross-linked with many of the other aspects and enablers of development, including:

• food security and nutrition,
• education and learning,
• equality and inclusiveness,
• safety and health of population,
• environments,
• etc.

My delegation maintains that simultaneous addressing of indicators, internal and external systemic issues and cross-linked aspects of employment and decent work, in a system-wise package, are a pre-requisite for achieving the main aim of employment and decent work for all.
Additionally, the systemic issues, both internal and external should be considered as the main means for the implementation of the targets in the “structural features and indicators” segment.

Mr. Co-Chair,

There is no need to dwell deeply on the importance of the issue of “Social Security”, however, as it is clearly stressed in the TST issues brief, the meaning of Social Protection varies across countries, depending upon national circumstances, institutions and legislations; It is referred to a set of public and private policies and programs aimed at preventing, reducing and eliminating poverty, deprivation and social exclusion, and enhancing resilience and opportunities through promoting human capital and connecting people to decent and more productive employment.
The contribution of Social Protection in terms of building resilience and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth is undeniable. On this account, my delegation believes that the issue of “Social Protection” should be considered under other relevant Goals, including among others “poverty eradication”, “food security and nutrition” as well as, “employment and decent work”, and – of course- based upon national circumstances.
I would like to reiterate here again that it is a known fact that Social Protection elements and floors are and should be nationally defined sets of basic security guarantees designed by the governments based on their national circumstances, in collaboration with private sector and civil society, and synergized through international cooperation.

Mr. Co-Chair,

“Education” has to be considered as a very significant contributor to almost all development goals, lack or short of which would have dire consequences in the achievement of sustainable development; therefore we believe that it should be seen as a cross-cutting issue for all development goals.
At the same time, education should also be considered as a single goal so that the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies are prioritized, and the capacities for promoting sustainable development are guaranteed.
My delegation believes that we should think of beyond the unfinished business of the MDGs and secure access and complete equality of all to secondary and post-secondary learning opportunities.

Mr. Co-Chair,

Much has been said about “culture” as both an ‘enabler’ and ‘driver’ of sustainable development, and that culture enables development as a cross-cutting element which should be mainstreamed in any development program.
That is to show that “one size fits all” formula does not work for every developmental goals and targets, therefore the global sustainable development goals should be culture-sensitive in order to be viable at the national levels.

I thank you Mr. Co-Chair,

Press TV -(Tue Jun 18, 2013) Iranian Foreign Ministry has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief to avoid politicizing Tehran’s nuclear issue.

“If the International Atomic Energy Agency’s expectations are beyond Iran’s obligations [under the Non-proliferation Treaty], this will require the definition of a new framework which we are currently negotiating,” the ministry spokesman, Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, told reporters on Tuesday. 
Araqchi further dismissed remarks made by IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano about lack of cooperation from the Iranian side. 
“Iran adheres to its commitments within framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Safeguards Agreement, and will continue its cooperation with the Agency,” he stated.
The Iranian official noted that Tehran has shown its “seriousness and goodwill” in negotiations with the IAEA, noting that it will be up to Amano to explain long-drawn-out talks.
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. 

Syria needless of Iran military aid 

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected allegations of Tehran sending military forces and equipment to Syria. 
“The Syrian government and Army do not need to receive weapons or fighters and they own enough power to counter terrorists and Takfiri groups,” Araqchi stated. 
“We categorically deny any allegation regarding the dispatch of troops and arms from Iran to Syria,” he stressed.
Araqchi reiterated Tehran’s support for a political solution to the crisis in the Arab country and expressed hope that the upcoming Syria talks in Geneva will see the presence of all Syrian parties in view of a solution acceptable to all Syrian people.
He said Iran has been unofficially invited to the second round of talks in the Swiss capital, but Tehran is awaiting a formal invitation.
“If the Islamic Republic of Iran is invited to attend the Geneva conference, we will consider the invitation with a positive and constructive look,” he said.
The turmoil in Syria erupted in March 2011 and many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence. 

Iran, Iraq discussing pilgrims’ security 

Araqchi also touched upon the recent death of a number of Iranian pilgrims in Iraq. 
He said Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi recently discussed the security of Iranian pilgrims in its neighboring state in a telephone conversation with his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari. 
The remarks came after a rise in the number of Iranians killed in terrorist attacks that target Shia pilgrims in Iraq.

Press TV -(Tue Jun 18, 2013) Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Araqchi has dismissed the recent remarks by Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird on the June 14 presidential election in the Islamic Republic.

On June 16, Baird, who has a reputation for making rude interfering remarks, described Iran’s 11th presidential election as “effectively meaningless.” 
Asked about the remarks by the Canadian foreign minister, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, “I see little necessity to respond to these remarks.” 
“Remarks of this type have been made by the Canadian foreign minister several times, and I have come to the conclusion that one should doubt his (Baird’s) political judgment,” Araqchi noted.
Hojjatoleslam Hassan Rohani emerged victorious in Iran’s June 14 election, which was marked by a high voter turnout, winning 50.7 percent of a total of 36,704,156 ballots counted. The voter turnout in the election was 72.7 percent, according to Iran’s Interior Ministry. 

Protests in Turkey 

Commenting on the recent protests in Turkey, Araqchi called on both the Turkish people and the government to exercise restraint. 
He rejected any foreign meddling in the internal developments in Turkey, and said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan must meet the demands of the Turkish people. 
The unrest in Turkey erupted after police broke up a sit-in staged at Istanbul’s Taksim Square on May 31 to protest against a government plan for the redevelopment of Gezi Park in the city. 
The Turkish prime minister has faced international condemnation for his handling of the crisis. Turkish police have also been strongly criticized for using excessive force against the peaceful protests. 
Five people, including a police officer, have reportedly been killed in the clashes and nearly 7,500 have been injured.

In the name of God the companionate the merciful

Mr. Chairman,
I have the honor to address the Special Committee on Decolonization on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Since its inception in 1955, the Non-Aligned Movement, has attached great importance to Decolonization and the exercise of the legitimate right to self-determination of peoples under colonization and alien dominance. The Movement reaffirms once again its full support for the aspirations of peoples under colonial rule to exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and its relevant resolutions.

The Non-Aligned Movement reiterates its full support to the activities and the hard work of the Untied Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, and again urges the Administration Powers to grant their full support to the activities of the Committee and fully cooperate with this United Nations body. Likewise, the Movement renews its call to UN Member States to speed up the process of decolonization towards the complete elimination of colonialism, and including by supporting the effective implementation of the Plan of Action of the Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (20-11-2020).

Mr. Chairman,

The Non-Aligned Movement reaffirms its position on the question of Puerto Rico, contained in the Final Document of the 16th Summit Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries held in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in August 2012, as well as the in the final document of the 17th NAM Ministerial meeting held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in May 2012, in which the Movement reaffirms the right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence on the basis of General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) and urges the United Nations General Assembly to actively consider the question of Puerto Rico in all its aspects.

The colonial question in Puerto Rico has been under consideration of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization for more than 38years. As a result, a total of 31 resolutions or decisions have already been adopted by the Committee on this subject. The Movement welcomes, in particular, the fact that over the last decade, Special Committee has adopted its resolutions on this issue by consensus. The Movement expresses its strong support for such resolutions, which are in full agreement with NAM’s traditional positions on the question of Puerto Rico, and call for their expedite implementation.

The Movement call on the Government of the United States to assume its responsibility to expedite a process that will allow the Puerto Rico people to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. Likewise, Nam urges the Government of United States to return the occupied land and installations of Vieques Island and at the Roosevelt Road Naval Station to Puerto Rican people, who constitute a Latin American and Caribbean nation.

 Mr. Chairman,

In closing, I would like to reiterate the full support of NAM members to the work of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization. We hope that on this occasion the Special Committee, as in previous years, can adopt by consensus yet another resolution on the colonial question of Puerto Rico that takes into account the position expressed by the Non-Aligned Movement on this issues.

Thank you

 Almonitor -(MON , 17 JUNE 2013) 

Kayhan Barzegar 

 Director of the Institute for Middle East Strategic Studies

With the election of pragmatic, moderate Hassan Rouhani, change in Iran’s regional policy, especially in the Syrian crisis, has become possible. While a shift in style and rhetoric is inevitable due to Rouhani’s newly introduced discourse of “moderation,” a meaningful change in Iran’s regional policy is more dependent on the severity of the threat stemming from it.

 This threat has two dimensions: an actual military threat from the United States and Israel, and the perceived threat from local rivals in minimizing Iran’s regional role. The dominant view among Iran’s analysts is that the Islamic Republic’s support of the Syrian regime is a constant in Tehran’s regional policy and crucial to keeping the resistance bloc intact. The policy hasn’t changed with the different pragmatic, Reformist and Principalist governments of Rafsanjani, Khatami and Ahmadinejad, respectively.

 But the reality is that Iran’s active presence in the Levant is directly connected to the preservation of Iran’s national security and interests in the region. The Syrian crisis has brought about new national-security challenges for Iran. The direct threat came from the United States and its Western allies when they made regime change in Syria a starting point to weakening Iran’s regional role, its nuclear stance and perhaps regime change in Iran.

 Iran’s regional rivals also saw an opportunity in the Syrian crisis to weaken its position in the region. The challenge has come not only from traditional rival Saudi Arabia, but also Qatar and Turkey, once a friendly state, as both took the opportunity to contend with Iranian influence. Together, the three states have formed a bloc to minimize Iran’s regional role. Therefore, Iran had no choice but to react or give ground on its traditional influence to its rivals.

 It is interesting to observe how the US and the West, just like in Iraq and Afghanistan, lost Iran’s influentialrole in solving the Syrian crisis at the onset. By minimizing Iran’s role in the Syrian developments and calling Iran part of the crisis in the country, the US marginalized the moderate voices inside Iran that sought meaningful changes and reform by the Assad regime. This provided the ground for the military-security elites to justify calling Syrian regime change an immediate threat to Iran’s national interests and security, subsequently shaping Iran’s Syria policy.

 Unlike countries like Egypt and Syria, which shape and conduct their political-security strategies based on their defeats in wars with Israel and losing land such as the Golan Heights, a great part of Iran’s active presence in the region aims to pre-empt future threats and keep its alliance with friendly states and political factions. Experience shows that in an interactive atmosphere and in the course of negotiations, Iran becomes more accommodating and constructive in settling a regional crisis. While Iran cooperated with the United States in establishing the new Afghanistan in the Bonn conference in 2001, it strongly opposed US regional policy when its national security was endangered by aggressive American calls for regime change after the victories in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 Therefore, the degree of change in Iran’s regional policy directly depends on the actual and perceived threats that Iran sees from Washington and its allies in the region. The more threats posed to Iran, the more active Iran’s presence in the region, and vice versa. Iran is likely to employ all the sources of its national power, including ideology, to preserve its national security and interests.

 The time has come that the United States agrees to change its policy in return for a change in Iran’s regional policy, including that of the Syrian crisis. This change could start with including Iran as part of a compromise solution in Syria, addressing Iran’s legitimate security concerns and simultaneously removing the perceived threat of halting Iran’s nuclear program through weakening Iran’s regional allies.

 Inviting Iran to the Geneva II conference is a good start to give the newly elected president of Iran the opportunity to prepare the ground for his “moderation” discourse to take roots in Iran’s domestic politics and regional policy.