Up to 1.5 Million Afghans immigrated to Iran after coming to power of Taliban/COVAX didn’t reach its objective in equitable distribution of vaccines   There are children without proper access to water, education and health care and their lives are affected by crimes and sometimes they themselves commit the crime; different social harms threaten them. Poverty, addiction and diseases are there to find their victims and who is a better prey than vulnerable children and women. Those fleeing from a war or living in less advantaged areas are usually more prone to victimization.  Education and health are basic rights of each human being, regardless of his/her race or ethnicity. Humans have basic rights that need to be secured and securing these rights cannot be made possible with endeavors of one government, one group, or one international organization, it requires joining hands towards one goal, i.e. to secure children’s rights, and that is why this year’s Humanitarian Day theme is “it takes a village.” In an interview with Khabaronline, Dr. Robin Nandy, UNICEF Representative in Iran explains why this day is chosen as the World Humanitarian Day. He believes that we all have to join hands to reduce the vulnerabilities of the children and women. COVID-19 and its impact on children and women is among other topics of this discussion. The complete interview follows. Q. Why is today (19 August) named as World Humanitarian Day (WHD)”? A. In 2003, an explosion happened in one of the centers of the UN in Baghdad, killing a number of UN staff including Mr. Sérgio Vieira de Mello,  one of the senior officials of the UN humanitarian programs. Since then, 19 August is commemorated as World Humanitarian Day to pay tribute to the humanitarian UN workers who lost their lives in this incident. It is estimated that around 300 million people in the world are affected by crises and war and so do governments, people and NGOs that try to help them, therefore the theme of this year is “it takes a village”, which means we all have to join together to help these people, as only one organization cannot help on its own. Q. You explained about the theme of 2022, that is “it takes a village”, and that everyone has to get involved to confront the crises, including governments, however many of these crises are created by governments themselves, e.g. wars …  there are several examples of such wars in the Middle East. Given to WHD 2022 theme, what is your message to governments for such crises?   A. My message to governments is to avoid the occurrence of crises, as any crisis in a country will have incredible impact on communities. But if I want to give a message as Representative of UNICEF, my main concern in all these crises is definitely women and children, because these groups are the most vulnerable of all. Therefore, in the first place, the crisis should be avoided and secondly, if it happens, there should be a comprehensive response to the needs of the most vulnerable groups. Q. What is your response in such crises? A. In UNICEF, we look for a quick and comprehensive response to the needs of women and children from different aspects, including health and nutrition, WASH, protection against maltreatment, and of course education. In other words, we try to make sure that in a crisis, children can still continue their studies.  In fact, what we do is to create a secure and protecting atmosphere for the children and women so that they are less affected by these crises. Q. These crises affect the refugees as well, specially those fleeing from the war. Last year the government that took power in Afghanistan caused migration of many Afghans including women and children to Iran. Do you have any idea how many Afghans entered Iran? A. The reality is that even before last year and Taliban’s takeover, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been hosting Afghans for several decades and it is estimated that before last August, there were 2 to 3 million Afghan refugees in Iran, however in the year Afghanistan faced the crisis, between 500,000 to 1.5 million new refugees entered Iran. I take the opportunity to appreciate the hospitality of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and of course along with the government’s support, the host community should be acknowledged for accepting refugees amongst themselves. Q. How does UNICEF support Afghan refugees in Iran? A. There is a coordination mechanism in the United Nations, which is not only for UNICEF, but also involves WHO, UNHCR and a few other agencies, that works in coordination with the MoI’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants(BAFIA) in Iran. We have different programs such as increasing the access of children and women to health and nutrition services, protecting them against maltreatment, support to increase their access to education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Of course, our support to Afghan refugee children and women generally covers the whole community; in other words, these refugees are living in the host community and therefore our programs cover all the children and women, part of them Afghans. We try to strengthen the servicing systems in the country in order to respond to the demands of these refugees. People living in the border areas of Iran are also among the most vulnerable in the society, and when Afghan refugees join them via borders, the servicing system for this community including education and WASH will be under pressure. We try to strengthen the system so that more people can benefit from their services. In Iran, UNICEF cooperates with the Ministry of Health and nine other line ministries and we try to make the servicing systems shock resistant, as Iran is a country very much prone to natural disasters and it is crucial that systems are strengthened against such events, in a way that even during crises, the servicing could continue. Q. As you said, you are trying to strengthen servicing systems to support Iranian and Afghan vulnerable children and women. For such supports, you may need to provide educational or health items to them. But on the other hand, Iran has been under sanctions for several years and has problems in importing such items, specially medicine. How has the sanctions impacted your interventions for the vulnerable groups? A. The recent years have been very challenging for Iran. The impact of sanctions were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic along with economic situation, and this combination affected procurement of medical equipment and other items from global markets. In response to this issue, the UN designed a support package to contribute in different areas, e.g. what UNICEF did to dispatch COVID-19 vaccines to Iran through COVAX mechanism. About 16 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were imported to Iran, 1.6 to 2 million of which was for refugees and the rest were used for Iranian community. UNICEF imported a series of other items such as cold chain equipment to keep the vaccines in proper conditions as well as the highest quality nebulizers for the children suffering from Cystic Fibrosis disease. We imported these devices at the request of the Ministry of Health, because due to sanctions it was not possible for the government to procure any. Also with the cooperation of UNICEF, EB bandages were also procured and delivered to the Ministry of Health, which was again impossible to procure due to sanctions. It is noteworthy to say that such humanitarian measures are not only limited to UNICEF, but all UN agencies including WHO, UNFPA, UNDP and others, collectively provide similar support. Q. Do you remember when were the 16 million doses of COVID-19 imported to Iran? A. The vaccines were gradually imported from mid-2020 to the first half of 2022. Q. How do you assess the quality of services such as education and health to vulnerable groups in Iran, specially in border areas, compared to other countries in the world?     A. The health and education service provision systems in Iran are generally good and have made a lot of progress since 1990s, however you are right that this is not equal in all parts of the country, and there are certainly areas with higher deprivations. And that is exactly why UNICEF is here to support the government in service provision in such vulnerable areas that require more attention. Q. Were the health and education services proper after COVID-19 pandemic? A. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the education system of the country came under pressure, the schools were suddenly closed, children didn’t go to school and education became online in some areas, but in many areas, online education was not feasible. The truth is that in many of the border areas, the children could not continue their education virtually. From now on, we need to try to return those out of school children back to classes. This is the same for health services, if there are children that have not yet received their routine vaccinations, the conditions for their vaccination need to be provided. Also, the pandemic brought a lot of psychosocial problems to the children and adolescents, which in turn impacted our servicing system.   Q. You talked about capacity building to offer services to the vulnerable groups, specially at times of crisis, and you seem to believe that such servicing system should be shock resistance. Does the Iranian government’s measures and cooperation for capacity building meet your expectations so far? A. Yes, we have a close cooperation with the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Capacity building towards turning shock resistant against probable crises has been the government’s request, which we support. We do our best to make the servicing system sustainable, which is the framework of our activities from 2023 to 2027, however the main pillars of our program will be response to crisis, strengthening servicing systems, economic revival, supporting health service systems after the pandemic as well as taking measures in water shortage. In this regard, we not only work closely with the government, but also with the communities, the IRCS and with the people, as really “it takes a village” to provide services to the vulnerable groups. It cannot be done only by one organization, but it requires collaboration. Q. Sustainable programs and cooperation require statistics and data. You said you are in good terms with the government. Does the government of Iran provide you with the data about vulnerabilities that children and women face with?   A. You are right. We need accurate and disaggregated data and we are in touch with the government in this regard. We have very good collaboration with the Statistics Center of Iran, and provide them with global best practices and techniques for data collection in the area of children and women, as well as reading and interpreting such data in order to strengthen the data collection capacities. Right now, we have several programs in data monitoring with different ministries. Q. Like you, I also think that humanitarian issues are transnational, therefore I would like to raise this question: we know that governments may not provide precise details and data, in order to show positive achievements. I ask you whether your organization verifies the data it receives from the government?   A. The data are categorized differently; some are regular data, such as the number of people enjoying health services each year. We also have periodic data, such as headcounts or census, but some countries have certain mechanisms for verification. Some countries use different types of data collection and compare the data, however what is more important than the data itself, is how to use the data. There are many countries that have lots of data, but do not apply those in planning. The important point is that even if the data is not 100% accurate, it can give an overall idea about the whole pathway ahead, and can be relied upon to plan accordingly. I think that several factors are important for the data: its accessibility, quality and accuracy, and proper application. Q. Are you happy with the accessibility, quality and accuracy of the data your are provided with in Iran? A. Yes, but there is always room for improvement, and it is the same for all countries. We as UNICEF support countries to better collect and analyze the data. Q. Based on the data you have, what is the most important social harm threatening children in the Iranian community? I mean a social harm that is at a warning level? A. We have an integrated approach to social harms. There are children that are affected by violation of law, children that witness a crime, and children that are even prone to committing a crim. In this regard, we work with several partners, including Prisons Organization, Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary, towards capacity building for these organizations on how to behave with each group of these children and what standards should be maintained. Q. But you do not have any data about the impacts of witnessing or committing a crime on children? A. As I already said, we really have a holistic approach. Our focus is supporting the children, no matter which of the child rights are violated. A harm is a harm and a child should enjoy all his rights. If a child right is violated in any area, it means that the child is at risk of harm. Apart from the governments, the families and people in the society play an important role in dealing with any such harms and in fact the parents and the society are the first to react to the children’s harms and deprivation of their rights. Q. How much are you in contact with the NGOs? Are they qualified and prepared to deal with the harms? A. We have a long history of cooperation with IRCS and a few NGOs. About these organizations, the same points apply, that they should be resistant to probable shocks. If anything happens in the country, these NGOs are the first responders, even before the government enters the field. Q. Let’s discuss about another area than the harms. I know that you are an epidemiologist. Today the world is struggling with a pandemic. What would happen to the world and COVID-19 eventually? A.  It is difficult to predict. COVID-19 is unstable by nature and it is probable that more variants will pops up in future. But the important point is that vaccination has prevented many deaths, although it was said from the beginning that vaccination can only prevent death and severe infections. Iran is facing the 7th wave at the time being. The number of infections are high, but the number of deaths is still low. Therefore, vaccination should be emphasized and encouraged, specially for the vulnerable groups. Q. Today vaccines are not fairly distributed in the world. What is your opinion in this regard? A. Yes, there is no equitable access to vaccines and that’s why COVAX mechanism was initiated. Of course it has been the same in the course of history. It has taken a long way from production of the first vaccines to mass production and maximum use. This is the same for COVID-19 vaccine, while with the COVAX mechanism we could help the poorer countries in the first year of pandemics, but it did not achieve its final goal and the equitable access to vaccines was not maintained as it was planned. Even many manufacturing companies could not enter the market. These are lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic for future. Q. There are some countries like China that follow Zero COVID-19 strategy, and announce lockdown with the first signs and symptoms. And on the contrary, there are countries that have reduced protocols. Which way you prefer? A. Well, complete lockdown has its own costs; during the first months of COVID-19, we saw the negative and psychological effects on the society when a whole country was quarantined and the country’s economy was paralyzed. Therefore, full quarantine is costly. We should be happy that vaccines could prevent a lot of deaths shortly after the outbreak. I think there should be a balance between the infections and the decisions made in the social health area to have the least damages and negative effects. Maybe the “best option” doesn’t exist, but the countries should only control the pandemic with the minimum impact. Q. As the last question, it is one year from your assignment in Iran. Has your mindset changed to Iran before and after this one year? A. 31 August is exactly one year that I have been in Iran. I am originally from India, and we share many commonalities with Iran. Before I came here, I had read books from Iranian great poets and what has very much impressed me is the hospitality of Iranians. I am comfortable here and this is admirable to me that Iranians are so much resistant against many problems such as the COVID-19 and economic problems, and yet they are still so civilized and cultivated.

Iran is located in a disaster-prone region, and faces many natural disasters every year; from storms and floods to earthquakes. In recent years, climate change has increased the probability, frequency and intensity of these disasters; tropical storms in Sistan and Baluchestan last year, and floods and sand and dust storms this year are just some examples. Hence, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) is a critical approach that should be adopted to ease the sufferings and decrease the cost of natural disasters for Iranians.   The Islamic Republic of Iran has a high capacity to deal with disasters on a large scale, and the United Nations in Iran has also continuously expressed its willingness to support the government in this area. Iran can benefit from international knowledge, expertise and lessons-learned in response to disasters, while also sharing its own knowledge with the international community. As a result, international cooperation can be a beneficial attempt to improve DRRM activities in Iran. In order to facilitate such international engagement, on 6 September 2022, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), in a meeting with the head of Tehran Disaster Mitigation and Management Organization (TDMMO), the Director of MFA Natural Disaster’s Office and head of the International Relations Department of the National Disaster Management Organization (NDMO) discussed international cooperation in the field of disaster management. The participants reviewed challenges and capacities in response to disasters in order to strengthen international cooperation in this regard. Training for two Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Teams, the required items to equip the teams, as well as membership of Iran in the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) were discussed in the meeting. INSARAG is a network of disaster-prone and disaster-responding countries and organizations, which facilitate and coordinate the operations of USAR teams in the disaster zones, and has a critical role in disaster risk reduction and management. Iran can use this capacity, to reduce the costs of potential disasters and find sustainable solutions. As Iran has good capacity in search and rescue operations, it can also positively contribute to INSARAG. In this regard, supporting the participation of Iranian representatives in regional and global earthquake maneuvers, providing technical support to the TDMMO in response to disasters in the city of Tehran and exploring the possibility of providing needed equipment from potential donors were mentioned in the meeting as well. The operationalization of joint projects was another item in the meeting’s agenda. Both NDMO and TDMMO, along with the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) play crucial roles in Iran’s disaster management system. These organizations are both responsible for strategic planning in the pre-disaster, and executive actions in the post-disaster phases. For sure, the Iranian DRRM system can use technical knowledge, equipment’s and direct aids provided by the international community, and on the other hand, provide other countries with its own expertise.  Therefore, facilitating international cooperation in this area is an important step, which UN has progressively taken.   

From long ago, the hospitality of us Iranians has been well known. Since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, during these many years, Afghans have sought asylum in Iran and have started living here. Now they love Iran like their own country. Their children study here and go to the university. They get married here and start families. The government and people of Iran have always done what they could to serve them with kindness. The latest example to prove this statement is the vaccination campaign to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the refugees were vaccinated just like all the Iranian citizens. Providing access to higher education, employment opportunities, and healthcare through the Universal Public Health Insurance for refugees are all proof of the hospitality of us Iranians. According to the data of the government, as of October 2022, Iran hosts 800,000 registered refugees ( Amayesh card holders). Of this number, approximately 780,000 are Afghan, and about 20,000 are Iraqi  refugees . Also, around 586,000 Afghans possess passports and Iranian visas, including those who had Amayesh cards before and later received student visas to continue their university education. Of course, approximately 2.1 million Afghans live in the country without documentation. On World Humanitarian Day and Week, we had an interview with Ivo Freijsen, the representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which you can read below.     — We are in the World Humanitarian Week. Iran is a country that has hosted a high number of refugees for many years. Due to the war in Afghanistan for a long time, we have hosted our neighboring country's dear people and served them like Iranian citizens. During the COVID-19  pandemic, we treated them like Iranian nationals,  regarding vaccination. What do you think about  Iranian humanitarianism? How do you define the role of Iran in promoting the spirit of humanitarianism?    Iran is an exemplary country that has acted very well in hosting refugees and has been hosting them for a long time.  Forty  years have passed since Iran started hosting them [refugee]. As we have always said, Iran has had positive approaches toward refugees, we  appreciate that, and we are honored to support Iran's efforts. In fact, Iran provides wide-ranging services for refugees: such as, basic healthcare services, education, and vocational trainings. And as you said, during the COVID-19 pandemic, those who were in Iran, whether the ones that had passports or the ones that had documentation and were [registered] refugees, received  vaccination. We have always said that Iran has positive approaches toward  refugees, and this is commendable and we are proud to support Iran's initiatives.   — Many international days are celebrated worldwide, only one of which is World Humanitarian Day. Please tell us about the importance of these days in general and World Humanitarian Week in particular.   I would  say that every day should be the World Humanitarian Day, but some days should be explicitly named to bear a particular message. In recent years, many people have moved to[international] borders due to various conditions that have affected their lives and have become refugees in other countries. On World Refugee Day, there is an opportunity to remind other organizations that there are situations that force people to leave their homes and their countries. Therefore, we should have more cooperation in this area. However, we [ humanitarians] should not be the center of attention. It is the vulnerable people in need who should receive the attention, and we should provide [the needed] services to them.    In addition,  governmental organizations, individuals from institutions, international NGOs, and ministries also support refugees. For instance, our employees support the refugees in Iran and have heavy responsibilities. Our offices in Mashhad, Shiraz, Esfahan, and Kerman are active, and we are managing  refugee issues on a daily basis. We talk to   [refugee] fathers, mothers, and children and assess their needs. Of course, we are not able to answer all their needs and [we] require support and funding , especially for people who need it the most. In fact, there are economic constraints  alongside other issues. On this specific day, the people who support  the refugees should be cherished.      — As the representative of the UNHCR in the Islamic Republic of Iran, please explain this agency's work, missions, and goals.    We need to create favorable environment for those people [refugees] who have recently entered the country or those who have been in Iran before. This means that they should be able to stay in Iran and not be returned to their own country because Afghanistan is still not safe. The main part of our work is to support the government to attend to the needs of refugees, we cooperate in the areas of registration, data collection, and provision of documents.   Moreover, as long as these people  [refugees] are in the country, they need work. So, we should help them access the job market. For this purpose, we assist both the government and the relevant organizations. We are also involved in the area of education for children and adolescents, and even adults. We have vocational training programs so that  refugees can first be trained and then start working. Another focus is the area of health and medical care. We believe that  healthy refugees are productive and resilient, refugees can both be a helpful person in Iran and be beneficial to their country when the situation improves, and they can return. In short, I can say that three  sectors are very important for us: access to aid, meeting basic needs, and livelihood, and we are always active in these areas and support the governments and organizations involved in them.    — How can the public support humanitarian actions? Many want to help but do not know much about humanitarian aid. What is your suggestion for them?     One does not need to be a professional humanitarian worker to support people in need.. Everyone can provide  humanitarian support. Around us, there are always opportunities and situations where we can help others. If someone asks a question or needs some information, we could help them by answering. We can make a monetary donation, or if someone needs something, we can provide it. It is not always about money; one could work as an intern at humanitarian organizations or, more specifically, help privately. For example, if you're going to the supermarket and someone is waiting for your help, don't reject them. If someone needs help, definitely help them. On the other hand, there are charity funds in different areas of the city, and you can provide your help through those funds. Meanwhile, there are also reputable organizations  that you can transfer money to help target populations. The first things  we should understand is why these people are in such situations. If someone, doesn't have money, , or a person is ill or has become a refugee, there is a reason behind it: we shouldn't see the individual as a problem. We should realize that these people are struggling due to special situations. I think it is most important to recognize the situation of these people. If we see them as a threat, no problem could be resolved . On the contrary, the situation will worsen, and we won't even be able to help. Finally, it will create xenophobia and cause distance between refugees and us [those who are not refugees].    It is especially important to understand refugees. We should realize that these people, like us, have many positive potentials. Refugees are not people who sit idle in a corner doing nothing. On the contrary, refugees want access to the job market, employment, and education, in order to help the societies in which they have sought refuge. They want to be able to travel, have access to medical care, get married, start families, and in the end, when the situation allows it, return to their country. These people probably have more hope and motivation than us. They only need to be well understood.      — Please explain the theme of WHD (World Humanitarian Day), its importance, and the goal of the campaign.   This year's message in English is "It takes a village", which has been translated to Persian as “یک دست صدا ندارد” (Yek dast seda nadarad). The sentence means that to raise a child in the best way possible, to care for its health, education, and needs, the whole community should be involved to reach a desired goal. By using this phrase, we want to convey the message  that in order to help someone in need, we require everyone's cooperation. To meet the needs [of refugees], it is necessary to have the support of others so that we can help these people [refugees] and finally meet their needs.   — How can people specifically support this campaign?    The first point is that we should be attentive individuals with open eyes and ears to see the people who need support. We should also help those affected by climate change  or who need help due to conflict and economic hardship. If we have something to offer, whether it is money, food, or even our time, we should not hesitate. Some might think the refugees' situation is not good and want to do something for them. This is very nice. They can join the humanitarian efforts. For example, 90 percent of the people working in our office are Iranians. They help non-Iranians, this way we are also helping the host society, which means we are helping Iranians as well.    — What has been done to encourage humanitarianism and increase the humanitarian spirit in the world, and what can be done from now on?   You are  asking a good question. Some measures have been taken through official channels to transfer the message of humanitarianism. For instance, some conferences have been held at the United Nations. And another part is projects that we, the Red Cross, Red Crescent, and other NGOs undertake. These measures, in a way, encourage others to also take humanitarian action, and one can say they also attract the attention of others. One of the issues we face in achieving all of this is funding. We receive some funding, but the amount is minimal compared to what is spent, for instance, on the defense or entertainment industry. On  international level, humanitarian aid should become a higher priority. Recently, we saw a lot of aid gathered for Ukraine, but we are interested in witnessing multilateral assistance to all emergencies. Humanitarian aid should increase in Africa, the Middle East, including in Iran.    — Continuing on this discussion, do you think, in a way, it is because the Ukrainians are white that enormous amounts of aid have streamed in? We have seen wars like this in other countries like Afghanistan, Lebanon, etc. But it seems as if white people have a more special position. These topics are constantly discussed. Do you confirm this? What do you think about it?   At the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, our High Commissioner made a very clear statement and also talked about how good it was that the borders were open, and the Ukrainians could enter other countries and how they received shelter and access to healthcare.  However, aid should not be limited to the color of your skin or which country you come from. The borders should be open to all in an equal manner. To reach this goal, we should better understand the reason for asylum-seeking. When we contemplate it, we realize that asylum-seeking has the same root all over the world. Discrimination, war, conflict, and other problems are the major reasons behind it. It is understandable if some countries are not interested in accepting refugees or refuse to do so. But at the same time, they can help the countries involved in the conflict in that region.    For example, in the case of Afghanistan, in addition to helping  Afghanistan, support should also be provided to  Pakistan, that hosts over  a million refugees, and to Iran so that with these support, the countries that have accepted refugees could continue offering them services. It is unfair that Iran solely should have a significant share in paying for the costs of refugees. We call this burden sharing and responsibility sharing, and it should be done in a right  manner. What we're looking for is open borders with open minds so that refugees can be received easily and that these individuals can receive the required support.      — We witness that powerful countries become involved in many wars, leading to many innocent individuals being displaced and seeking asylum in other countries. In fact, these powerful countries are responsible for the displacement. What is the message of this day for these countries?   This is also a very good question, but the main answer should be given by politicians or analysts. However, many documents exist that show conflict to be the main reason for displacement [of people] either within countries or outside, and this is an obvious fact which is not unknown. What is new is that conflict has been combined with other elements—for example, climate change or lack of natural resources such as water.    These elements have been combined together like a chain which has increased negative impact on people. In the end, people are forced to move and leave their countries. Small solutions are not enough to overcome these crises, and we should look for constructive solutions to resolve these issues. When the situation is not good, it is not strange that a person would enter Iran from another country or go to Turkey or seek asylum in other countries.    It is very natural: if I or you were living in an unfavorable situation, we would do the same. If you were a farmer and had no land to farm or no water, or your rights are violated in your own country, you would be forced to migrate. Our humanitarian support is not the main solution but only temporary relief. The main solution is peace, tranquility, development, and access to human rights. All world leaders are aware of this and should only start acting according to it.      Link to the original Farsi article: http://www.irannewspaper.ir/newspaper/page/7985/1/623715/0  

What is World Humanitarian Day, and why has the United Nations named it?  Every year on August 19th, we commemorate World Humanitarian Day. The occasion that has resulted in this naming is, in fact, a sad one. The disastrous bombing of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad in 2003 which killed 22 staff members of the UN, including the special representative of Secretary-General Sérgio de Mello. I remember this day very clearly. He was a man that we all looked up to and learned from. I was a young UN employee and knew some people who died on August 19th, 2003. From that day, we mark August 19th to celebrate the sacrifices of humanitarian and aid workers worldwide and their efforts and achievements in this field.    This year, the UN has picked a seemingly African proverb in its campaign to promote World Humanitarian Day. What is the meaning of this sentence? It takes a village to raise a child.  Yes, this year, we are using #ittakesavillage as a hashtag to shed light on the efforts that hundreds of thousands of humanitarian volunteers and professionals make to get humanitarian aid into the hands of millions worldwide. The real meaning of this sentence is that it usually takes the support and assistance of many supporting institutions/disciplines in the fields of education, sanitation/water health, food, health, and many other areas – together with the help of experts and specialists in various fields to put together a suitable support package for people that need help; their numbers are unfortunately on the rise. We encourage everyone to take part in this campaign with the #ittakesavillage hashtag so we can illustrate the efforts of humanitarians better than before.    At this time, which regions of the world have the most need for humanitarian aid, and which areas are the most dangerous for humanitarian workers?  If we want to start with the countries neighboring Iran, I have to say that – we all know – Afghanistan is a country that has massive amounts of humanitarian needs in various fields. Last year, 17.7 million Afghan citizens qualified to receive humanitarian aid, and approximately 17.5 million of them received those humanitarian aids. There are many other countries that very much need humanitarian assistance, such as South Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia, and of course, Ukraine. Suppose we want to discuss statistics and the scope of humanitarian assistance. In that case, I have to say that – according to calculations in 2021 – more than 235 million people worldwide need such support. In 2022, this number will significantly increase to 274 million people. United Nations aims to support 183 million people in 63 countries. These are the range of efforts and plans for humanitarian aid at the UN, and why is this important? Because we are working at a time when there are many reasons for humanitarian crises. Natural causes such as climate change and other factors like conflict and confrontation in the world. For these reasons, every day, the number of people needing such humanitarian support increases.  What is the purpose of naming this day as such by the UN? What is the exact message you would want to convey?  Our objective is to shed light on the many daily activities that happen in this field but do not often get visibility and recognition. We do not want to advertise, but it is good to discuss the volume of activities once a year and praise those that have lost their lives in the path of humanitarianism – or those that have put their lives in danger. We want to show the importance of humanitarian assistance to the world.    You talked about the increase in the number of people who need humanitarian assistance and mentioned several reasons. What is the primary reason for this in 2022? Has the war in Ukraine played a role in this? There are many reasons. There is no one reason, and Ukraine is not the only present crisis in the world. We face many natural disasters that have caused challenges for many countries. We face cyclones, floods, earthquakes, and many other dangers that create the grounds for an increase in the number of people that need humanitarian aid. At the same time, millions of people face immediate hunger caused by climate change and conflicts.    Recently, the UN and Türkiye played a significant role in the agreement to export Ukrainian crops between Russia and Ukraine. Are there other initiatives to solve the food crisis born from the Ukraine war?  This agreement counts as a significant achievement. There are many innovations/plans that the UN SG is following up on and requires that many different UN agencies in the humanitarian field work together to make sure they bear fruit. For this particular agreement, many agencies such as OCHA and WFP came together to ensure that this vital agreement about exporting crop products from Ukraine and getting them to the hands of tens of millions of people worldwide who need them - works/bears results.    You are the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Allow me to ask some questions relating to Iran. One of the most important events in the past year regarding the relationship between Iran and the UN was the visit of a special rapporteur of the UN to the country after 17 years. What is your assessment of the travel of Alena Douhan?  Before discussing this, let me mention a point regarding the relationship between the UN humanitarian work and Iran. I want to say that in Iran, humanitarian activities are an important part of the efforts of the UN. Approximately more than half of our annual budget in the country is used on humanitarian work, especially the response to Afghan refugees. Naturally, you can see the increase in the volume of our support to Afghan refugees due to the events that unfolded last year in Afghanistan. Iran hosts a large number of Afghan refugees, and we praise Iran for its hosting of refugees for a protracted time.  Regarding your question about Alena Douhan, she came here by the invitation of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to evaluate the negative impact of sanctions on human rights. She is an independent expert and works as the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. The United Nations offices in Iran (logistically) supported her trip, and her report is considered an independent report. This report shed light on the impact of sanctions.  On the subject of our role as the UN, to help the Government lessen the humanitarian impact of sanctions, we know that sanctions have had an impact on the availability of medicine in the country, and various UN agencies at different times have helped procure such medicine. One prominent example of this support is the topic of butterfly children (children with epidermolysis bullosa), where UNICEF helped procure the bandages needed by the patients.  You must know that there were allegations made after this trip, and some individuals and media reported that Ms. Douhan had received funding from governments such as Belarus and China; that these supports have impacted her report. What is your reaction to these allegations?  Our position is that she is an entirely independent expert. UN organizations usually receive funding from various countries, and in our view, the allegation that such financial support has a link to the opinions of Ms. Douhan is unfounded.    One of the aspects of UN cooperation [in Iran] was climate change. After the [signing of] the JCPOA, we witnessed some openings in this field, and projects such as Urmia Lake restoration showcase such positive cooperation. But after the withdrawal of the US from the JCPOA, these cooperation faced obstacles, and the financing of these projects did not occur. What is the reason behind this? Does the UN see itself committed to complying with the unilateral sanctions of the United States?  First, I must say that fighting climate change is one of the priorities of the United Nations. This topic is a crucial subject that is being followed up on at the level of the Secretary-General. We are happy that we have had good efforts in Iran in this field, yet a lot more needs to be done. We are progressing with a negotiated collaboration framework with the Government of Iran starting from January 2023, and climate change is a key component.  Repeating my question: what is the concrete reason for this reduction in support in the era post the fallout of the JCPOA?  Naturally, resource mobilization for the United Nations is a serious issue. We always called for more resources because the objectives were ambitious. I hope that the negotiations on the JCPOA arrive at a result, and as an outcome, we bring more resources into the country and invest/spend on various topics – especially climate change.  You said that the new cooperation will start in January 2023. What areas will these cooperation cover?  The collaboration framework is being finalized, and we will communicate this in the coming months. We hope that the documents for these collaborations are signed soon, but what I can say about the cooperation is that it is built on five pillars. One of them is socio-economic resilience to focus on poverty reduction. The next is on health – which has become more prominent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The third is the environment. Climate change is an integral part of activities in this field, but – as an example – topics such as natural management/protection of natural resources and waste management are also important. The fourth is cooperation in the control of drugs, and the fifth is the topic of risk reduction and disaster management.  At the beginning of the discussion, as you were talking about Iran, you mentioned the Afghan refugees. Much has been speculated on this topic since the fall of Kabul last year. Is there a precise statistic concerning the number of Afghan asylum seekers in Iran?  Our statistics are based on the statistics by the Government of Iran. Until the end of last year [2021], 500,000 asylum seekers crossed the border and were added to the estimated 3.5 million Afghans already residing in Iran. From this number, 780,000 have Amayesh cards and are recognized as refugees. This population is one of the target objectives of UN humanitarian assistance.  In the last year, Iran has faced challenges in its membership payment to the UN. Has a solution been found so that this issue does not get repeated? Unfortunately, this is one of the negative aspects of sanctions causing baking challenges. We are cooperating with the Iranian Government to find a solution to this problem and timely payment of membership fees.