Iranian Experts Create Social Development Monitoring System

“This system can provide the basis for accurate and targeted decision-making in the field of social development by monitoring data and identifying inequalities,” Zohreh Shahbazi said.

“The Social Development Monitoring System is a technological and data-driven platform that can be used as a smart governance tool in the field of social policymaking,” she added.

Noting that the system consists of three key elements that, in communication and coordination with each other, form the basis for effective interventions in the field of social policymaking, Shahbazi said, “The first element is a comprehensive database of dimensions and indicators of social development at the national, provincial, and city levels, which can be updated and provides an accurate image of the current state of social development in the country.”

“This database can be used as a map and reference for decision-making in the field of social policy. By relying on this data, it is possible to identify inequalities, gaps, and disruptions in social development in different regions of the country, so that critical points can be identified and become the basis for targeted interventions,” she noted.

In a relevant development in 2022, Iran’s Islamic Azad University (IAU) announced plans to develop an atlas of social harms to help the society deal with the phenomena more efficiently.

"Development of the atlas and platform of the social harms is on the Islamic Azad University's agenda which means the mentioned harms are considered based on a model of territorial arrangement in different branches of the IAU," Nasser Ebadati, a senior member of the Scientific Council of the Research Center for Drug Abuse and Behavioral Disorders of Islamic Azad University's branch at Islamshahr, told ANA on the sidelines of Asreh Omid Event.

He added that Islamshahr branch of Islamic Azad university has been entrusted with managing the secretariat of the Social Harms Consortium since a year ago after receiving necessary permissions from the Research Center and Director-General of Laboratory Affairs, noting that various subjects of social harms, behavior disorders, violence, family psychology issues, social rights issues, health and well-being and other issues have been put on the agenda in the Consortium of Social Harms.

"We have activated nine Islamic Azad University's research centers across the country in this Consortium which are located in different provinces, and the managers of these research centers are members of the Council of the Consortium of Social Harms in which relevant meetings are held and they propose special plans in different areas," Ebadati said.

He elaborated on the division of tasks among different branches of Islamic Azad University, saying that for instance Islamshahr branch which is the Research Center for Drug Abuse and Behavioral Disorders has also entrusted with studying issues related to slum-dwelling and informal settlement and the related social issues, Urumiyeh branch follows issues related to psychology and social services and Roudehen branch is entrusted with studies on health and well-being issues as well as subjects related to elderly people.

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