Dr. Leila Saiji Joudane, the new Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Tehran paid a courtesy call on the ECO Secretary General H.E. Ambassador Halil Ibrahim Akca on 13 June 2017.
Dr. Leila Saiji Joudane, the new Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Tehran paid a courtesy call on the ECO Secretary General H.E. Ambassador Halil Ibrahim Akca on 13 June 2017.
While briefing the Secretary General on UNFPA’s activities in Iran, she highlighted the scope of possible cooperation between the ECO and the UNFPA in the era of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She also expressed readiness of UNFPA’s for enhancing cooperation in the field of education in health-related areas, and emerging population issues and best practices in ECO Member States, as well as for intensifying South-South cooperation within the ECO Region through capacity building and training programmes by UNFPA.
The ECO Secretary General welcomed Dr. Leila Saiji Joudane as UNFPA’s new Representative Iran and wished her a successful tenure in Tehran. While referring to the recently expanded cooperation between ECO and UN bodies such as FAO, UNIDO, UNEP, UNODC, UNFF, UNFCC and UNISDR, he informed the UN Representative about some other specific ECO projects in areas such as transport and transit; trade promotion and facilitation; renewable energy; environment; disaster reduction, immigration and drugs and organized crime. ECO Secretary General welcomed the idea of expanding institutional collaborative linkages between ECO and UNFPA and assured the latter of ECO’s support in implementation of UN agenda in the ECO Region.
Dr. Joudane shared with the ECO Secretary General of UNFPA’s readiness for technical support in the areas of evidence-based policies and strategies with the focus on capacity building and training programmes for the youth; harnessing demographic dividend; tackling the burgeoning challenges and creating opportunities for population ageing; meeting the needs of older people and their contribution to society in the ECO Region, including through joint UNFPA-ECO development programmes and projects for the benefit of the people of Region.
Both sides agreed to continue contacts with a view to elaborating further possible cooperation arrangements.
