The Islamic Republic of Iran

______Positions for the Group of 77______

I. Addressing the Role of Climate Change in Economic Development

In the name of Allah, the compassionate and the merciful, Iran has seen the effects of climate change and global warming, and unlike those around the world who refuse to acknowledge its existence, Iran is willing to take concrete measures to fight it. In early 2015 Tehran hosted the 5th Regional Conference on Climate Change and in November of 2015, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a 15-point list of policy directives to discuss the country’s environmental needs. After a number of Iranian cities were hit with crippling dust pollination that resulted in the closing of many public buildings and even a deadly dust storm in Tehran, the Iranian government called for continuous monitoring and control of the sources of the various environmental pollutants.

Another important point in Supreme Leader Khamenei’s letter was on the expansion of a green economy, which stressed the need for developing low-carbon industry, using clean energy, promoting healthful and organic agricultural products and providing better waste management. After realizing that some of the beautiful, historic cities were some of the most polluted in the world, the Iranian government decided to grant tax breaks or “eco-friendly investments” to those who utilized the public transportation systems and other “green economy” improvements.

Regionally, there has also been a lack of proper allocation of water resources from rapid population growth, urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, and rising water demand, and droughts which have left some regions lacking stability. In the past 23 years, Iran has experienced reduced rainfall and increase in temperature, rendering the current method of collecting and allocating water to be less effective. To increase this stability in these specific regions, Iran has developed a mission to reduce the agricultural share of allocated fresh water and to encourage farmers to switch from freshwater to treated effluents instead. Iran has also looked into using lower quality of water (these treated effluents) for green spaces in order to prepare for the future need for water through urbanization.

Not only has Iran supported the issue of climate change domestically, but also internationally. Khamenei’s letter was an urge to those in the international community to follow in Iran’s footsteps as they took first initiatives to criminalize the deterioration of the environment as a developing member state. In August of 2005, Iran signed the Kyoto Protocol to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming. Iran has been urging to develop international partners in this pursuit towards a better and greener economic solution. In early 2016, Iran signed the Paris Climate Agreement, and submitted a climate action plan to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), pledging to reduce its overall emissions by 12%. President Rouhani has pledged to spend $5 billion on conservation efforts, and Tehran is working with the UN and the Japanese government on a variety of efforts to help local farmers and gradually restore water levels in lakes that have been destroyed by climate change.

Iran has been a forerunner in this pursuit of a better global environment. We have worked hard to make sure that our pollution and contribution to climate change will be reduced domestically through our new water allocation methods, a green economy, and “eco-friendly investments”, among other methods and are willing to work with other developing countries to implement these changes to stop global climate change and to promote a better world.

II. Improving Access to Healthcare in Developing Member States

Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, The Islamic Republic of Iran has become a forerunner of public healthcare in the Middle East. This is due to progressive changes that our country has made regarding placement of facilities, selection of employees, and adjustment to the needs of the public. There are many areas that our medical system has excelled in and our model is constantly used as a model for developing countries to adopt, as it should be. This can be seen in the creation of the so-called “group 5 initiative” in 2005 between Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the WHO, where our state took a primary role as the group’s secretary. This group was responsible for the strengthening of health care systems, active surveillance and frequent monitoring of service locations, vaccination at borders, and even sending free vaccines to neighbor countries. Our country was responsible for championing a policy of strengthening of the primary health care systems in all countries, which our state had already done internally by introducing the Health Houses to our population. Our state has also continued to work and cooperate with the WHO, which is evident through our acceptance of multiple “strategic directions” that were recommended in our Country Cooperation Strategy of 2010-2014.

Along with the primary health care initiative, our government has integrated medical education, health services, and accountability of our educational system to match the real needs of the population regarding professional caregivers. As proof of our concept, in 1983 we had over 3,000 working foreign physicians. We have since been able to educate and employ enough of our citizens to fulfill the demands of medical practitioners from the public. While these physicians work in upper level, more intensive healthcare locations, we have employed local citizens to train as basic healthcare providers. This resulted in a proper environment that helped the health system to have support of the community. This is the primary strength of the system and something that can be easily translated to any developing nation. The local healthcare model is what our country brings to the table when talking about improving the access to healthcare in developing states.

Through this local support structure we have created, it has been possible to improve certain health goals and standards dramatically during a very short period of time. The impact that our new, local health houses have had on our rural and suburban populations can be visualized by how many people have gone abroad to receive healthcare, including major medical surgeries. In 1982, it was estimated that more than 4000 Iranian citizens a year were going abroad just for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Thanks to our easily accessible and adjustable system, on top of our superior academic institutions, today at least 18,000 coronary bypass surgeries are performed across the nation every year. This is yet another example that our system would prove to be a successful model for developing states to adhere to and adopt into practice.

At this year’s conference, Iran will present a system that can succeed even without flawless infrastructure, as many states in the G-77 will not have this luxury. However, we know that the most important aspect of any policy is to continue to improve as an institution. Iran has played an important role in many health initiatives around the world. In social determinants of health, Iran is one of the few pioneer countries. We have adopted a new, modern system that we have shaped and tailored to the needs of our citizens and it shows in the effectiveness of our programs. Our system should serve as an example for developing states, and because of that, our council will serve as a natural leader of the G-77 on this topic.