Development Challenges
The population of the Islamic Republic of Iran has nearly doubled in the last three decades, from about 36 million in 1976 to close to 70 million in 2004. Half of its population is under 20, and the economic, political and reproductive behaviour of young people will be a powerful force shaping the country's future. The country also has one of the largest refugee populations in the world, including significant numbers of person displaced by the political situations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The quality of life for the Iranian people is 'average' by United Nations standards: The country was ranked 99th out of 177 on the Human Development Index 2005. The UN Development Programme's ranking of countries' development, which factors in achievements in education, living standards and life expectancy, as well as economic growth, places Iran between Georgia and Jamaica.
The country is OPEC's second largest oil producer,
and it has one of the largest gas reserves in the world. The per
capita GDP is close to $2,000 and growing at 2 to 3 per cent per
year. However, that is not fast enough to keep up with inflation
or to create enough jobs for the growing labour force. Eighteen
per cent of the population lives below the poverty line.
The Islamic Republic of Iran faces the challenge of addressing a number of regional disparities in health that are particularly evident in estimates of life expectancy and child deaths. A complete assessment of the development situation is hampered by limited coverage of official data for some sectors, according to the 2003 Common Country Assessment prepared by the UN Country Team and its national partners. Improving the country's ability to collect, analyse and use disaggregated data is a development priority. Other development challenges include strengthening the economy overall, reducing unemployment, especially among young people, and alleviating disparities in social and economic well-being are the major development challenges facing the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Job creation is crucial. Already unemployment is high (over 20 per cent in the 15-29 age group and even higher for women). Some 600,000 new job seekers will enter the labour market each year (the entire workforce is about 20 million). The country is also losing some of its most highly trained young people to emigration.
Although fertility reduction has been a notable
success, the country needs to maintain its achievements in this
area. Priorities are to address regional disparities in fertility
and contraceptive use, address adolescent reproductive health and
promote male involvement in reproductive health. Another issue is
finding ways to cover reproductive health care costs as the large
baby boom generation begins to use services that have been free
of charge.
Gender disparities persist. Women's participation in development is
hindered by societal expectations regarding gender roles and laws that
discriminate against women. Ratification of the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was
rejected by the Guardian Council in 2003 but is being considered by the
national legislature. Discussion about a number of gender issues –
including gender-based violence, women’s legal and labour rights, and
reducing the social vulnerability of women, especially those who are
heads of households -- is ongoing, driven by the 4th National
Development Plan of Iran. As chair of the UN gender theme group, UNFPA
will play a pivotal role in providing technical assistance to implement
the women’s empowerment components of the plan.
According to official Government statistics, some
700,000 cases of sexually transmitted infections were reported in
2003. This does not include the number of cases managed by the private
sector, so the true number is likely to be much higher. The prevalence
of HIV in the general population, which is driven by injecting drug
use, is less than 0.1 per cent, although it is much higher in groups
with high-risk behaviour. Despite this relatively low prevalence
rate, the Government is stepping up efforts to keep HIV from spreading
to the general population. Information, education and communication
materials on HIV prevention and transmission are integral components
of reproductive health education offered to key groups including
adolescents, Afghan refugees, factory workers and students. Iran
provides reproductive health services to and protects the reproductive
rights of over 2 million vulnerable and underserved Afghan refugees
residing in Iran.
In 2003, more than 50 participants from the Government,
national NGOs, and resident and non-resident UN organizations attended
an UN Development Assistance Framework retreat to identify key priority
areas for UN collaborative support to the country over the next
four years. The priorities of greatest relevance to the work of
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, are achieving the Millennium
Development Goals, improving governance and strengthening emergency
preparedness.
The country has been successful in achieving or
surpassing several targets of the ICPD Programme of Action and is
on track to meet many of the Millennium Development
Goals.
Page last updated: 9 February 2006
|
