Damavand, Tehran prov, Aug 2, IRNA -- Iran's government has
managed to decrease rate of population growth significantly to 1.5
percent at present, said Iran's Representative to UNFP Mohammad
Abdol Ahad.
Iran has also managed to control fertility rate and decrease the
death rate of mothers and that of infants to 37 in every 1,000,
added Ahad on the sidelines of 'population training` conference.
He also underlined cooperation between UNFP and Shiraz University
in training experts on development and population for enforcement of
government policies in this regard.
Created in 1967, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP)
provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries at
their request.
The major functions of UNFP, according to its mandate, are to
build up the capacity to respond to needs in population and family
planning, to promote awareness of population problems in developed
and developing countries and possible strategies to deal with them.
Elsewhere, Ahad said that the HIV/AIDS virus has not been studied
at widespread level, saying the families should be enough trained on
sexual relations.
He further said that the UN-affiliated Fund will proceed with its
cooperation with Iran in the next five years and will also make use
of Iran's successful experiences in other developing Muslim countries.
The UNFP also considers women training as its major aim in the
future for advancing the goals of the Fund, said Ahad.
He reiterated that the UN-affiliated Fund has allocated dlrs 11
million to Iran since the start of its activities in Iran till next
year.
Besides, some dlrs 10 million has been allocated for continuation
of mutual cooperation between Iran and UNFP for the next 5-year
period.
The UNFP also intends to strengthen emergency projects in Iran
during its future cooperation with the country since Iran is exposed
to natural disasters, Ahad stressed.
The UN-affiliated Fund is doing its best to upgrade the level of
knowledge of the public to take decisions wisely on various issues
such as family health, public training on fertility health and
maturity, he added.
Ahad noted that the UNFP is active in three fields of fertility
health , sexual issues, population strategy and development.
... Payvand News - 8/2/04 ... --