Gary Lewis, “Iran has started a new round in cooperating with international community”

Mr. Lewis, a national of Barbados, has served with the United Nations for 25 years in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. He was born in Bridgetown in 1962. Mr. Lewis’ postings with the UN have been as follows: 2008-date Regional Representative, UNODC Regional Centre for East Asia and the Pacific (Duty station: Bangkok,Thailand – covering 34 countries and territories). 2004-2008 Regional Representative, UNODC Regional Office for South Asia (Duty station: New Delhi, India – covering 6 countries). 1999-2004 Programme Manager (Drugs), Regional Office for Southern Africa (Duty station: Pretoria, South Africa – covering 13 countries).1998-1999 Deputy Representative, UNODC Country Office forAfghanistan. (Duty station: Islamabad, Pakistan – Concurrent designation as Acting Representative of the Regional Office from December 1997 – May 1998.) 1995-1998 Assistant Representative, UNODC Regional Office for South West Asia (Duty station: Islamabad, Pakistan – covering Pakistan and Iran). 1993-1995 Programme Officer, Office of Deputy Executive Director and Director of Operations, UNODC Headquarters (Duty station: Vienna, Austria). 1987-1993 National Programme Officer, UNDP Regional Office for the Eastern Caribbean (Duty station: Bridgetown, Barbados – covering 10 countries and territories.) Mr. Lewis holds a Master of Science degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics. His undergraduate years were spent at Queen’s University in Canada and Glasgow University in the UK. In addition to writing on matters related to drug control and human trafficking, Mr. Lewis is a published author on Barbadian history and security matters. He is a soccer player. His interests include paleoanthropology, bass guitar and percussion, 4 x 4 off-road driving and scuba diving.

Ava Diplomatic’s exclusive interview with UN Resident Coordinator in Iran, Mr. Gary Lewis

Interview by Mohammadreza Nazari

What are your main priorities as the UN resident coordinator in Tehran?

My main priorities are to ensure that the UN system of 17 agencies, funds and programmes on the ground in Iran is motivated, equipped and ready to support the development and humanitarian requests for support from the Government and people of Iran.

To render this support we work with our Government counterparts, non-government-organizations, academics, research bodies and people like yourself in the media.

You’ll probably be surprised to learn that the UN has been working in Iran for 65 years.  During that time we have – together – tackled a number of problems.  For example, our early work was focused on the needs of rural populations.  We helped with issues like soil fertility, animal husbandry and health, forests and rangelands and locust control.  These days we are focused – at the request of the Government – on challenges like inclusive growth – growth with equity, environment and sustainable development, disaster risk reduction and management, health concerns like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and drug control – all critical national priorities as decided by the national government.

Currently we have around 400 staff in the UN in Iran.  Most of these officers are Iranian nationals working for the UN.  Our aim is to help provide solutions to some of the major challenges Iranians are presently facing – like th eons I just mentioned.

What is your advice for the efficiency of the UN and the Security Council in international crises including that of Syria?

There is nothing I can really add to what our UN Secretary-General has already said on the Syria situation.  He has pointed out over and over that there can be no military solution.  Anyone who looks at the situation impartially – with all its horrendous cost in terms of broken lives – must surely realize this.

The Secretary-General has also appealed to all sides to stop arming the various parties to the conflict.  Without this, the conflict will continue.

Moving forward, we must build on the basis of last year’s Geneva conference.  The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is working hard to bring all parties to the table for a constructive dialogue.  The Security Council has unanimously endorsed the expeditious destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons programme.  Indeed, for the first time in over two years, the Security Council has taken united action on Syria.  So I think the UN has been playing its role as honest broker to the best extent that we can.  We have certainly not been idle – or quiet.

But the solution to the violence does not rest in our hands.  The various groups and interests – both inside and outside must start to dialogue more.  We must build trust and we must end the destructive fighting.  This conflict will end – as all such conflicts  do – at some point.  Would it not make sense for this killing and destruction to end sooner rather than later?

What capabilities does UN have to prevent violence in the Middle East?

Well we can look at this on two levels.  First we have a number of brave UN officers who are on the ground in various parts of the Middle East – currently most exposed in Syria – waking up and going to work each day – at great risk to themselves – providing medicine, food, shelter and communications for those in the conflict who are most at risk.  This makes a difference to those with whom our teams come into contact.  But all this brave and selfless work does not really help to “prevent” the conflict (at least not directly) because it does not address the underlying cause or the aggravating factors to the violence and conflict.

For this, as I have said in answer to your previous question, there needs to be a change in attitude and a change in behavior in those who are providing leadership and “inspiration” – let’s call it what it is – to the conflict.  The UN can certainly continue to provide a forum for the practice of peace.  But the participants have to want to come and engage in dialogue sincerely.  Without this, we will continue to witness the violence which is eating away at the soul of our region.

As the UNDP Representative in Iran, do you think there can be a relation between the failure to improve developmental indices and the violence in the Middle East countries?

Actually, this is something which UNDP studied in great depth about a decade ago.  At the time we produced an Arab Human Development Report.  It was back in 2002, I think.  That report – an independent one – was prepared mainly by Middle East intellectuals and researchers.  It was partly sponsored by the Arab League.  It showed that in the Arab world, more than half the women are illiterate, that maternal mortality rate is four times that of East Asia, and that poverty is pervasive.  It also said, if my memory serves me right, that living standards had actually been falling in most of the countries of the Middle East despite the substantial oil wealth in many of these countries – as vigorous population growth outstripped weak economic growth.

Importantly, the authors – who as I have said were mainly academics from our region itself – pointed out that there was a so-called “democracy deficit”.  That there were weaknesses in governance across the Middle East.  They said the region’s democratic indicators lagged behind those of the rest of the world.  It was a very powerful statement that the report made.  And it was quite controversial at the time.

If this is true, then there were – and still probably are – some very basic deficiencies which need to be addressed in terms of human development.

Now when you add to this the conflict which is spreading in parts of the region, you can see how these two toxic factors – underlying development deficiencies and then overt political/military conflict – combine to produce bad situations.

But, as I have said before, this is why the role of leadership is absolutely critical.  Leaders must be dealers in hope, as Napoleon used to say.  They have to demonstrate breadth of vision, incorruptibility and perseverance to deliver solutions for their citizens.  The UN can, in a sincere way – as it is doing – play a supportive role.  But it is really for the Middle East’s leaders and – and the world’s leaders – to show the statesmanship required to deliver solutions.

How do you evaluate UN’s role in boosting human development index?

The best we can say is that we have made a contribution.  The vast and overwhelming majority of the hard work which has gone into improving Iran’s human development has been the work of Iran and its leaders and the policies enacted over the years.  We contribute by adding to the knowledge pool; by helping to establish conventions; by providing technical expertise; by serving as a forum for people to convene and share ideas; and by speaking out in favour of development and humanitarianism.  But the heavy-lifting has been done by Iran itself.

How do you evaluate the human development index in Iran?

This is something which Iranians should be proud of.  The numbers are extremely positive and compelling.

UNDP spends a lot of time crunching numbers from across the world to produce its Human Development Index – or HDI.  The HDI measures three basic dimensions of human development over a long-term period.  These are: a long and healthy life; access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living.

In 2012, Iran’s HDI value was 0.742.  This number means that Iran is among the “high human development” countries.  There are four HDR categories: “very high”, “high”, “medium” and “low”.  At present, Iran ranks number 76 out of 187 countries.

But let’s drill down to these three dimensions of human development which I spoke about.

First, a “long and healthy life”.  UNDP measures this in terms of life expectancy at birth.  During the period from 1980 till today, Iran increased this measure from 51 years to 73 years. The second component is “access to knowledge”.  Here we look at the expected years of schooling starting in 1980.  Between then and now Iran increased this indicator from 8.7 to 14.4 years.  This is a really impressive achievement. The third component is “a decent standard of living”.  Here again the increase has been considerable.

How does this compare with other countries?  The news is that Iran has achieved the second highest reduction in HDI shortfall – among developing countries – during the 22 year period 1990-2012.  The only country out of about 100 that UNDP measured which did better than Iran was the Republic of Korea.

This is really quite an outstanding achievement for Iran.

What are the main UN development programs in Iran?

As I said before, our purpose in Iran is to work with the Government and people to help provide solutions to a number of development challenges.  There are five of these priorities that we have agreed with the Government to work on.  poverty, public health, environmental threats, natural disasters, illicit drugs.  In addition, we work with the Government on the humanitarian challenge of supporting refugees.

What are the main UN capabilities which have not yet become operational?

This is a difficult question to answer.  The UN’s mandate is to promote four things: peace, human rights, justice and development.  There are essentially different parts of the UNs.  There are the organs of the UN – like the Security Council, the General Assembly and so on which are comprised of Member States.  This is what I often call the “First UN”.  And then there is the so-called UN on-the-ground (the “Second UN”), comprised of agencies, funds and programmes.

I think the “First UN” should spend more time focusing on the responsibility they have to protect people.  Not just state-centred security.  Our former Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar used to say that we need to talk less about the “sovereignty of the state” and more about the “sovereignty of the individual”.  I would agree with this.  For what, after all is the purpose of the state other than to protect and ensure the human security of its people?

With regard to the “Second UN” we are tasked – especially in these hard economic times when there is much less resources available – with delivering more development and humanitarian assistance with less.

But, taking all things into consideration, for an on organization which is less than 70 years old, and which is comprised of people from all different countries and cultures, with different educational backgrounds and experience levels, I think that the UN continues to be a force for good in the world.

There is much interest for voluntary cooperation with the UN in Iran. Is there any program to recruit volunteer members in the UN offices in Iran?

We already have what are called National UN Volunteers in the UN system here in Iran who, in many cases, have made a sterling contribution to the work of UN in Iran.  We can do with all the help we can get from talented and qualified national professionals.  The details on how to apply to become a National “UNV” (as we call them) are on our website.

You have served for the UN in Asia, Africa, Europe, America and the Middle East for more than 25 years.  How different did you find Iran with the image you had in mind before arriving here?

Everybody always asks me this question.  But you see, I had an advantage when coming here.  I had already been here before – during 1996-1998.  At the time, I was working side-by-side with your Disciplinary Forces as a young counter-narcotics officer serving with the United Nations.  I was based out of Islamabad and worked mainly in Sistan-va-Baluchistan – places like Mirjaveh, Chah Bahar, Zahedan and Zabol.

So I already knew how beautiful your country was.  And how genuinely friendly its people are.  And how rich and deep is your culture.

Now I am here, many years later, as the UN Resident Coordinator.  During the past 6 months, I have gotten to know your culture, your history, and the geography of this great land much, much better.

But here is the main point.  The Islamic Republic of Iran is now embarked upon a new process of engagement with the international community.  The UN agencies on the ground have been here working side-by-side with the people of Iran for 65 years.  So I see it is as my responsibility – as UN Resident Coordinator – to build upon that strong partnership and ensure that the UN plays it part in contributing to this new era of engagement.