In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful Statement by H. E. Mr. Javad Amin-Mansour Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative the Islamic Republic of Iran WHO briefing session with Member States on COVID-19 WHO Headquarters in Geneva - 4 March, 2020   Mr. Director General, Madam Chair, I thank you for convening this meeting and briefing us on the latest developments. I would like to provide an update on the outbreak of the virus in Iran and national measures we have taken so far. As of yesterday, the total number of confirmed cases in Iran stood at 2336, and 77 deaths have been registered since the beginning of the outbreak. On the positive side, there are 435 patients who have fully recovered and been released from hospitals. We have closely cooperated with the WHO since the beginning of the outbreak in accordance with IHR guidelines, and a WHO technical team has arrived in Tehran on 2nd March. To date, several meetings have been held with the concerned Iranian health authorities to assess the situation and advise on the best practices. We are waiting for the outcome of the team’s evaluation and will share their findings and recommendations once they are finalized. Coordination is underway with relevant ministries/organizations in order to increase their response capacities. Health authorities in Iran are implementing public health measures to prevent onward transmission, including closing of schools and higher education centers, cancelling major sport events, and other mass gatherings in the areas affected. Thanks to technology, the Government, mass media, and civil societies are active, to the extent possible, in raising awareness, education, medical advice and treatment, and other activities through internet and social networks in order to reduce the movements, transportation and gatherings aimed at containing virus transmission, at local and national levels. This aligns with the containment guidance currently being implemented globally in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 Meanwhile, we recently received the first shipment of medical equipment from the WHO, for which we are sincerely grateful. Assistance has also been provided or pledged by other international organizations and friendly countries. We appreciate them for their solidarity with Iran. As already mentioned, we are concerned that additional measures are taken by some countries, in our region and beyond, that are not in line with the provisions of the WHO International Health Regulations. Closing of borders and points of entry, suspending international flights, and disrupting economic activities of ordinary people without solid evidence, will not be effective in preventing the virus from spreading around. Viruses and pandemics do not respect borders and are indiscriminate with regard to religion or nationality. Indeed, they are testing our societies’ resilience, and there are, and there will be many lessons for our future activities in the areas of sanitation and health to learn. We deplore all policies and measures such as unilateral coercive measures and imposed economic sanctions which continue to undermine the national education and health capacity of the targeted states, including my country, while they are struggling to contain and combat Couid-19 in cooperation with the international community. Our success requires collective efforts and greater investment at the global, regional and national levels. All countries need to work together, share detailed and timely information, and show solidarity to those affected by the outbreak, in accordance with Article 44 of the International Health Regulations. Last but not least, we think that the spread of Covid-19 is now a global challenge and the international community should initiate some effective policies and measures against the imposed sanctions, which undermined the national health and education capacity of the affected countries. Otherwise, all people across the globe will suffer from the implications.   I thank you.