There are eleven United Nations agencies and programmes working in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Together they make up the United Nations country team led by the Resident Coordinator, the designated representative of the Secretary-General.

Much of our work in Iran is humanitarian in nature, assisting the world's largest refugee population. But we are also helping to build the capacity of our partners for the pursuit of national development objectives. United Nations agencies in Iran have forged strong and lasting partnerships with the government, civil society and local communities to promote respect for human rights, protect the environment, fight disease, foster development and reduce poverty. We are working with our counterparts to improve access to health services, create jobs, expand food production and fight drugs.

Specifically, the UN system in Iran is helping the country reach the Millennium Development Goals set by world leaders at the September 2000 Millennium Summit. To this end, agencies are assisting the Government to halve extreme poverty, improve children's health, mitigate disease and improve education, and will also support the national authorities to monitor the country's progress towards these Goals.