Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made the remarks in his speech at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday night.
Dealing with current and future challenges requires cooperation and interaction based on justice and honesty, the Iranian president said, adding that the focus of this joint effort should be paying attention to the role and position of the United Nations as a symbol of multilateralism and respecting the goals and principles of the UN charter.
"Strengthening the system of multilateralism in order to deal with challenges such as war, discrimination, poverty, and hunger should be the basis of our joint work for the future," he emphasized.
Pezeshkian went on to say that in this regard, the role of culture and family values and the necessity of intergenerational dialogues in order to preserve cultural values, in addition to paying attention to the role of women, girls, and youth and empowering them, is undeniable.
He also named some of his administrations' national priorities including paying attention to health, public education, public welfare, creating equal opportunities and reducing all kinds of inequality, reducing poverty and expanding social justice, and empowering women and youth.
Achieving peace and development requires respecting the right of countries to develop, paying attention to development priorities and cultural characteristics, observing the principles of equity, and the implementation of the obligations of developed countries towards developing countries, the Iranian president continued.
"Unilateral sanctions would stop the achievement of sustainable development goals and this fact should be taken into account in any document that would be prepared for the future," Pezeshkian underlined, suggesting the Secretary-General of the United Nations, with cooperation with the countries who are a victim of unilateral sanctions, to prepare a comprehensive report in this regard and present it to the UNGA.
We demand immediate reforms in the structure of international financial institutions in order to guarantee the presence of developing countries in decision-making, as well as the formation of a fair and responsible structure to meet the financial needs of these countries, he added.
He further cited that Iran demands a world free of nuclear weapons and a region free of weapons of mass destruction without any preconditions.
"As a victim of terrorism, we have always been a pioneer in the fight against this sinister phenomenon and we are ready to cooperate with countries that are looking for a real fight against terrorism," Pezeshkian stressed.
The Iranian president went on to say that the Islamic Republic wants a strong, united, safe and stable region in which the resources of the countries are used for synergy in the direction of economic and social progress and solving common problems.
He further stressed that in a world where civilians are brutally killed in Gaza, where women and children are slaughtered by blind state terrorism, and where genocide and terror are supported, no document will guarantee peace and development.
The end of the occupation, the end of apartheid in Palestine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza are prerequisites for development and world peace, he added.
MP/