Davoodi: No logic can justify Iran's non-access to nuclear energy
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Isfahan, Sept 9, IRNA
Iran-Nuclear-Davoodi
Iran's vice-president Parviz Davoodi said here Saturday that no logic can justify Iran's abandonment of nuclear activities.
Addressing the inaugural session of the 53rd Meeting of the World Health Organization's Regional Committee for the Eastern
Mediterranean, Davoodi said the intelligent and brave Iranian youth have gained remarkable success in finding AIDS/HIV medicine, production and multiplication of stem cells, curing cerebral defects and conducting peaceful nuclear research.
He voiced strong protest at efforts to prevent Iran from access to sophisticated scientific technology and impede the country's progress.
"If they manage to prevent the Islamic Republic from access to the technology at higher scientific level -- as other states have attained such a level of progress -- then we will not be able to reach the latest global standard of welfare, so we cannot remain silent before them," said Davoodi to the four-day meeting.
He said today's world is, on one hand, characterized by globalization and suffers, on the other hand, from such
classifications as `developed' and `underdeveloped,' showing they differ in terms of the level of health and development provided to them. Further, he added, the classifications show unfair distribution of health facilities being necessary for a healthy life.
"This doubles responsibility of such scientific centers as the World Health Organization to fill the appalling gap as much as they can," he added.
Elsewhere in his speech, Davoodi said today, global village is almost materialized thanks to the advanced communications facilities but the scheme falls short of guaranteeing essentials of family such as fraternity and kindness, thus it cannot honorably be called as a family.
He said one cannot ignore double-standards in today's world.
"On one hand, the big states possess nuclear bombs with high devastating power and on the other hand, the same governments ban other states' using peaceful nuclear technology.
"What a sort of global family is it wherein the developing states should be deprived of access to peaceful nuclear energy for such purposes as medicine, health, agriculture and industry? The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the victims of blatant injustice and tyranny," announced Davoodi.
He called on governments and international organizations to strive for materialization of a global community dominated by justice and humanity.
Davoodi noted that WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean has 22 Muslim states as its members, covering about 500 million people with different standards of health and medicare.
There are some countries suffering from such infectious and contagious diseases as tuberculosis and malaria, while there are some others that have AIDS/HIV and hepatitis, said Davoodi, warning that if the avian flu is not brought under control, it can be a threat to the countries.
Furthermore, he said, about 60 percent of deaths in the region are caused by such non-contagious diseases as cancer and vascular diseases and due to the same reason Iran has given the priority to poverty campaign and administration of justice as well as direct cure of diseases, hoping that other countries will set the country's pattern of success as their model.
The Islamic Republic of Iran would spare no efforts to materialize the ongoing meeting's objectives, he said.
Iran believes that problems of human communities cannot be solved unless through efforts of countries and scientists and it is the characteristic of scientists who do not consider borders and race, said Davoodi, adding that a look at the health and medicare indexes and scientific achievements testify the claim that the indices can be improved through following Islamic injunctions, thus lowering death rate.
The present WHO meeting is to set policies and approve programs and budgets in the Region.
The participants will be discussing major health-related issues that have arisen in the Region during the year since the closing of the last session of the Regional Committee and following up the implementation of the recommendations made to the Director-General, Regional Director and Member States.
Emergency preparedness and response will top the agenda this year, in light of the disasters, wars and conflicts which many countries of the Region have recently experienced.
These include the Pakistan earthquake, Darfur crisis and the recent war on Lebanon.
A progress report on the subject reviews what has been implemented with regard to enhancing country preparedness for emergencies, an issue that was the subject of a resolution of the 52nd Session of the Regional Committee.
There are four diseases that have been globally targeted for elimination by Member States in collaboration with WHO: tuberculosis, measles, leprosy and neonatal tetanus.
Four progress reports will follow up the latest steps taken to eliminate these diseases and the obstacles being faced.
Control and prevention of HIV/AIDS, tobacco control, poliomyelitis eradication and strengthening efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals are main challenges facing health officials in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Some progress has been achieved in developing an integrated framework for action to tackle some of these issues, such as tobacco control. More countries have ratified the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control; however, activation of the Convention is still in the preliminary stages.
Significant progress has been made in polio eradication in the Region, with Egypt declared polio-free after a long battle with the deeply-rooted virus.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are still working towards achieving this goal, while other countries that were previously declared polio-free, such as Somalia and Sudan, are fighting to stop outbreaks due to viruses transmitted from neighbouring countries.
Activities initiated under the "3 by 5" initiative to provide treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS are continuing, with universal access to prevention, care and treatment as the new goal.
Efforts towards improving maternal and child health are making progress and need further support within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals.
More detailed information about these health issues will be reviewed by the Regional Committee in its meeting in Isfahan.
The achievement of health for all and moving forward with primary health care are two long-term goals of WHO that have been renewed in past sessions of the Regional Committee.
To what extent have Member States succeeded in moving forward towards achieving these goals?
The answer is included in another progress report during the upcoming Regional Committee session.
Pandemic influenza preparedness will figure high on the agenda of the 53rd Session of the Regional Committee, as well as the public health problems of alcohol consumption in the Region and the regional strategy for knowledge management to support public health.
The Regional Committee will also review the Iranian experience in integrating medical education and health services.
The details and features of activities implemented by the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year will be the subject of thorough discussion and evaluation by the Regional Committee.
Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, will review the annual report for 2005.
On the sidelines of the Regional Committee meeting, a book fair will be held offering recent WHO publications, and will include the launching of the Arabic version of the WHO report Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment.
The book fair will also showcase the latest WHO media productions in the field of health awareness. This includes audiovisual materials, posters and publications produced by the Regional Office on different health issues.
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