UNICEF MENA Regional Director visits Islamic Republic of Iran

UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Dr. Peter Salama has ended a two-day visit to Iran during which he discussed with national counterparts and UN officials current and potential new areas of collaboration on programs for children, AVA Diplomatic reports.

 “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s unique health system has achieved great success in improving the health of children, through advancements in medical education, research and health care”

Visiting at the beginning of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s National Children’s week Dr. Salama met with Iran’s Health Minister Dr. Hassan Qazizadeh-Hashemi, Acting Deputy Minister for Health Dr. Naser Kalantari, Iran’s Minister of Labor, Cooperatives and Social Welfare Dr. Ali Rabiei and Vice Minister of Education for International Affairs Mr. Khalilollah Babaloo.

In these meetings, they discussed ways to further strengthen the cooperation on key issues related to children’s welfare.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s unique health system has achieved great success in improving the health of children, through advancements in medical education, research and health care”, said Dr. Salama.

 “The recent Health Transformation Plan is another significant step forward for Iran to further improve health results for the public and specifically for children,” he added.

Dr. Salama commended the Government of Iran for the significant achievement in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target in education, particularly prioritizing inclusive and equitable quality education.

He also pointed out the country’s multi-layer social welfare system and praised Iran for its generous cash transfer programme, and successful implementation of the Universal Health Insurance scheme. He further commended Iran for its efforts to advance children’s well-being through its various targeted social protection programme.

Dr. Salama acknowledged the government’s strong role in implementing joint programmes for children and pledged UNICEF’s continued support.

This is the first visit to Iran by Dr. Peter Salama, a medical epidemiologist, in his capacity as Regional Director. Previously Dr. Salama served in various UNICEF assignments, including as Representative in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, Chief of Global Health and Principal Advisor on HIV/AIDS in New York Headquarters and before that as Chief of Health and Nutrition in Afghanistan.