UNICEF Iran and Iranian Chamber of Commerce Renew Their Efforts on Promoting Children’s Welfare

Tehran, 25 Jan 2022 - The Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) and the UNICEF Office in Iran signed a new memorandum of understanding today, the 25^th  of January. At the signing ceremony of this memorandum at the Iran Chamber Office, the President of the Iran Chamber, Mr. Shafei, and the UNICEF Representative in Iran, Dr. Nandy, acknowledged the history of fruitful cooperation between the Iran Chamber and UNICEF and emphasized the need for strengthening the level of cooperation focusing on the needs of children in the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly the most vulnerable.

Dr. Nandy,  mentioned that one of the top priorities for UNICEF is to work closely with private sector organizations and institutions and to benefit from the experience and  comparative advantage of this sector in enhancing children’s lives. He also pointed out that the challenges and problems children in Iran face are changing due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Children have faced threats to their well-being as a result of the economic disruption, new threats posed by lockdowns, “stay at home” directives and months of lost education due to school closures. We have to position ourselves to support the government to address these threats and also threats due to economic sanctions and environmental challenges. Mr.Shafei also referred to the presence of Iranian business leaders and their extended support to social matters, and enumerated a wide range of achievements of the Iran Chamber on social issues such as school construction, educational scholarships, support to health and hygiene efforts and housing for the most disadvantaged populations. The new memorandum of understanding between Iran Chamber and UNICEF is now signed and will be implemented over the next 3 years and is focused on a strategic partnership between of both parties  to improve the lives of children in Iran through collective support to various sectors including education, health, nutrition, child protection, social protection and emergency response.