Ambassadors Statement at ECOSOC: Finance For Development

The full text of the statement delivered by H.E. Ambassador Iravani is as follows:

Statement by
H.E. Mr. Amir Saeid Iravani
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
At the 2026 ECOSOC Finance for Development
New York, 23 April 2026

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues,

          Financing for development is closely linked to the credibility and integrity of the multilateral system. Declining trust and cooperation, the weakening of multilateralism and the United Nations’ role, the growing reliance on unilateral measures, and the increasing politicisation of financial flows and economic instruments undermine development. In addition, the freezing of sovereign assets, along with the economic consequences of aggression and armed conflict, particularly in developing countries, further constrains fiscal space, disrupts investment, and weakens sustainable development efforts.

          The persistence of acts of aggression, particularly against developing countries, remains a major obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and mobilising financing for development, with direct links to today’s economic, social, and environmental crises.

Mr. President,

          For more than four decades, my country has been subjected to unilateral coercive measures, financial restrictions, and the freezing of assets belonging to its people-measures whose impact is borne directly by ordinary civilians.

          In the case of the ongoing aggression against my country, which has occurred twice over the past nine months, we have endured repeated acts of imposed war that have taken the lives of thousands of our people, particularly children, women, and young boys and girls, each of whom had hopes and aspirations for the future.

          It is therefore deeply regrettable that carefully proposed language reflecting the realities faced by countries under aggression, particularly their disproportionate impact on developing countries, was removed by the facilitators and replaced with formulations that are neither consensus-based nor neutral. Such an approach risks undermining the credibility, clarity, and integrity of our collective work.

          In closing, it is imperative to reaffirm that development finance must remain development-oriented, predictable, and free from politicisation, while fully respecting the sovereign right of countries to pursue their own development pathways. We call for strengthened international cooperation to ensure that financial systems are inclusive, transparent, and resilient, and to reinforce the central role of the United Nations.

I thank you.