The UN deputy secretary general has appreciated the contributions Iran has made to the global community over decades.

�Iran is a founding member state of the United Nations,� said Jan Eliasson in remarks�to Iranian officials and other diplomats at an event in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday.

Eliasson noted that Iran and the UN have cooperated in many areas, adding that one of the country�s most important contributions has been to host one of the largest refugee populations in the world over the past three decades.

�We are grateful to Iran for receiving millions of Afghans, and for its close cooperation with the UN refugee agency,� he said.

The senior UN official also highlighted key the�steps taken by Iran in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MFG).

�Per capita income has doubled since 1980,� Eliasson pointed out. �Life expectancy has risen considerably. School enrollment is rising. Women now make up more than half of all university students in the country. Iran is one of the few countries to have reached the MDG on maternal mortality and is on track to substantially reduce child mortality.�

He added that Iran has considerable influence in the region, saying that the UN is continuing its�dialog�with Iran on promotion of regional peace and security.

Eliasson is on a visit to Iran for talks with senior officials of the country on regional developments. He has already met and held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Ali Akbar Velayati, who is the foreign affairs' adviser�to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and�Secretary of Iran�s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

By Press TV