Zarif Asks for UNFPA’s Cooperation on Iran’s Population Policies
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a meeting with Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Tehran asked the UN body to help Iran in implementing the country’s policy on population.
During the meeting with Maha El-Adawy on Sunday, Zarif pointed to the policies adopted by Tehran to encourage population growth, and said the UNFPA should assist Iran in better implementation of the policies.
The UN diplomat said the UN fund is prepared to provide Iran with necessary help to that end.
Adawy also expressed the hope that relations between the two sides would further expand.
In May 2014, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in a proclamation sent to the heads of Iran’s three branches of power outlined general policies aimed at encouraging population growth to compensate for the declining birth rate over the past years.
The declaration was issued following consultations with the country’s Expediency Council and was prepared on the basis of the Clause 1 of Article 110 of the Iranian Constitution.
In the preamble to the proclamation, the Supreme Leader referred to the country’s young generation as an “opportunity and privilege”, stressing that the general policies aim to make up for a reduction in the population growth and fertility rate the country has seen in the past years.
Imam Khamenei also highlighted the necessity of “comprehensive planning for the economic, social and cultural growth” proportional to the population policies.