TEHRAN — UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson said on Monday that the UN still has a lot to do in putting an end to conflict, poverty, inequalities and repression, noting the UN mission is not accomplished yet.

Eliasson made the remarks while delivering a speech on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the UN celebrated in Tehran.
During his speech in which some Iranian officials and UN diplomats were present, Eliasson admitted that there is much left to be done in the UN. “We all have work to do. Our mission is not accomplished. We need to continue to reform our organization and adapt it to the new global landscape.”
Eliasson, who had also come to Iran on the very same day last year to help celebrate the UN anniversary, expressed his deep condolences as well as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for the tragic loss of a number of Iranian pilgrims during Hajj rituals in Mina, Saudi Arabia on September 24.
Eliasson said Iran is a founding member of the UN through the Tehran Declaration of 1943, therefore the UN and Iran have cooperated in various areas.
The top UN diplomat praised Iran for hosting and sheltering millions of refugees particularly from Afghanistan over the past three decades and working closely with the UN refugee agency.
Eliasson, who also was part of the UN mission mediating in the Iran–Iraq War from 1980 to 1986, then pointed to the current refugee crises in the Middle East and Africa and said the issue asks for immediate attention and solutions.
Referring to Iran’s progress over the past decades, he said the country has made “important strides in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)”.
“Per capita income has doubled [in Iran] since 1980. Life expectancy has risen considerably. School enrolment is rising. Women now make up more than half of all university students in the country. Iran is one of the few countries to have reached the MDG on maternal mortality and is on track to substantially reduce child mortality.”
He then continued to say that Iran like many other nations is faced with serious challenges such as “employment, environmental protection, human rights and ensuring space for civil society and the media.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, the UN diplomat addressed the crises in Syrian, Yemen and Iraq and said the conditions in these countries have caused “tremendous suffering and instability” in the region.
“Extremist groups continue to attract recruits and control territory, terrorizing large parts of the population on ethnic or religious grounds. In Syria and Yemen, it is urgent to move rapidly towards the creation of a more peaceful environment, the cessation of hostilities and a serious political process and negotiated solutions.”
With regard to the Israel-Palestine issue, he stated that the “conflict” there continues to be a “central task and challenge.”
He went on to say that Iran plays an important role in the region, noting that the UN continues to talk with Iran on ways to help the country contribute to peace and security in the region. “My own visit to Tehran is an example of such a dialogue.”
He also talked about the historic nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 group, saying the accord showed the “immense value of patient and skillful diplomacy”. He suggested that the model could be used to address other troubling issues and situations.
In his remarks, Eliasson referred to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that world leaders adopted to end poverty and build lives of dignity for all on a healthy planet.
He then named President Rouhani as one of the many world leaders who participated at the annual UN meeting in New York in September to show his personal support for the agreement.
Eliasson then concluded that the United Nations looks forward to continue its partnership with Iran on building the life of dignity for everyone.
“Let us never forget that the first three words of the charter are ‘We the Peoples’. It is to the peoples in our nations that we are ultimately responsible and accountable.”
Araqchi: Iran has always been active member of UN
Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, was another lecturer at the event who said that Iran has always been an active member of the UN.
Iran cooperates with the UN in four pillars: health, environment, resilient economy and drugs fight.
He then called Iran an island of tranquility that helps other nations find peace.
Gary Lewis says a ‘strong UN’ promises ‘better world’
Gary Lewis, the resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative in Iran, also delivered a speech at the function announcing the theme of the UN in 2015 as “strong UN, better world.”
Lewis thanked all the members of his UN national and international staff who have worked dedicatedly to help the organization to thriv