TEHRAN –Abbas Tajik, Iran’s representative to the United Nations, has been appointed as the vice-chair of the 65th Session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD65).

The CSocD is the advisory body responsible for the social development pillar of global development. It is one of the eight functional commissions established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 1946 to advise and assist it in carrying out its work. The commission consists of 46 members elected by ECOSOC, IRIB reported.

CSocD64 was held from February 2 to 10 at the UN headquarters in New York. It brought together Member States, United Nations entities, civil society, and other stakeholders to advance global dialogue and action on inclusive and sustainable social development. Stefano Guerra (Portugal) and Shahriyar Hsjiyev (Azerbaijan) were elected as the chair and the other vice-chair of the forthcoming session.

The priority theme for CSocD64 was “Advancing social development and social justice through coordinated, equitable, and inclusive policies.”

Under the theme, the Commission considered policy options and recommendations aimed at strengthening social justice, reducing inequalities, and promoting inclusive development pathways that place people at the centre of development efforts.

Another important focus of CSocD64 was the discussion on emerging issues, under the theme ‘Eradicating poverty and ensuring dignity through resilient care and support systems’.

This segment explored how care and support systems can contribute to poverty eradication, social protection, and human dignity, particularly in the context of demographic change, crises, and growing inequalities. A panel discussion facilitated exchanges among policymakers, experts, and stakeholders on innovative and resilient approaches.

Addressing the session, the Iranian representative highlighted national achievements in the human development sector, citing indicators and reports published by the United Nations.

The priority theme of the sixty-fifth session of the Commission for Social Development would be ‘Strengthening social development through intergenerational approaches for achieving sustainable development and the implementation of the Copenhagen and Doha commitments towards 2030 and beyond’.

Iran among UNDP’s High Human Development countries

According to the United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) latest Human Development Report (HDR) 2025, Iran has been placed among the countries with a High Development Index (HDI).

Iran’s score improved from last year’s 0.780 to 0.779 in 2025. The country ranks 75 out of 193 countries and territories, placing it in the “High Human Development” category. Between 1990 and 2023, Iran’s HDI value changed from 0.626 to 0.799, a change of 27.6 percent.

Going forward, the Gender Inequality Index (GII) remains an area for improvement, with Iran scoring 0.482, ranking 123 out of 172 countries. This underscores the continued need to invest in equitable access to education, employment, and health services for women and girls.

According to the 2025 report, human development progress experienced an unprecedented slowdown. The report showed how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could reignite development.

Instead of seeing sustained recovery following the period of exceptional crises of 2020-2021, the report revealed unexpectedly weak progress. Excluding those crisis years, the meagre rise in global human development projected in this year’s report is the smallest increase since 1990.

The 2025 HDR: “A matter of choice: people and possibilities in the age of AI” analyzed development progress across a range of indicators known as the Human Development Index (HDI), which encompasses achievements in health and education, along with levels of income.

MT/MG