TEHRAN – The first international award of women’s environmental activities in the BRICS countries, titled ‘Green Future, will be judged by 16 juries from ten countries including two female scholars from Iran.

Masoumeh Ebtekar, a professor at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, and Simindokht Shirvani-Arani, the director of Scientific and International Cooperation, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI) of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), are the two female scholars from Iran to judge the event along with other juries.

Launched by the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum and Rosatom, the first international contest of women’s projects from BRICS countries is dedicated to sustainable development and environment protection.

Promoting environmental initiatives, encouraging peer exchange, and sharing benchmarks across BRICS countries are among the main objectives.

The competition was launched at the IV Eurasian Women’s Forum in Saint Petersburg on September 18.

The contest also aims to discover women-driven corporate practices in sustainability environment protection in BRICS countries, promote outstanding environment-oriented projects created by women, and build a global female network for cooperation in the field of environment protection.

Women from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, who lead environmental projects or initiatives matched with the following competition’s nominations were invited to attend the event. 

‘Green Workforce’ nomination welcomes women leaders who are implementing educational initiatives and mentoring projects that address the current demand for young professionals in eco-oriented fields.

‘Ecological Culture’ invites women leaders to develop public initiatives that promote environmental awareness and eco-friendly behavior in society.

‘Environmental Protection’ is focused on projects contributing to the protection and preservation of specially protected natural areas (SPNAs).

‘Green Corporation’ focuses on women leaders who are successfully running environmental projects in large industrial companies and in eco-oriented businesses.

‘GreenTech’ is dedicated to innovative achievements that contribute to environmental protection through science and technology.

The award ceremony will be held in May 2025. 

Women are closely connected with environmental protection: head of DOE

Highlighting the role of women in preserving the environment, Shina Ansari, the head of the Department of Environment (DOE), in December 2024 said boosting collaboration between different strata of society and developing green businesses are the key to protecting the environment.

“Today, we are facing many environmental challenges, such as climate change and air pollution, but these problems won’t be resolved unless we collectively tackle them,” IRNA quoted Ansari as saying.

“Women’s participation will play a key role in preserving the environment since women and the environment are intertwined. Women show high sensitivity and concern for the environment,” the official added.

By assigning responsibilities to women, they can help solve part of environmental problems. For example, women can play an effective role in waste management which has been failed to notice before. They can be trained to do so at home which will significantly reduce the amount of waste, Ansari highlighted.

Women can also play an essential role in improving sustainable agriculture, as well as protecting forests such as the Hyrcanian and Zagros forests, which are currently not in good condition.

Addressing environmental challenges should be a top priority of the government. It also requires joint efforts since no single organization can successfully deal with the problems, Ansari noted.

“Let’s work together to be able to take constructive steps at the governance level to reduce environmental problems,” the official further said.

MT/MG