TEHRAN – Iran is willing to enhance cooperation and share knowledge and expertise in the environmental field with Congo, Ali Salajeqeh, the head of the Department of Environment (DOE), has said.

He made the remarks on April 8 in a meeting with the newly appointed ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Congo, Amir Hosseini, ILNA reported.

In September 2023, Salajeqeh held a meeting with the Congolese minister of environment at the international conference on combating sand and dust storms which was held in Tehran. 

During the meeting, the Congolese official expressed interest in leveraging Iran's environmental experiences, especially in waste management, water resources management, and flood and soil erosion management.

In this regard, a draft of a memorandum of understanding with Congo has been prepared, and Iran stands ready to share experiences by dispatching expert teams to the African country.

Referring to opportunities for the development of bilateral cooperation with Congo, Hosseini stressed that the Congolese officials are ready to expand cooperation with Iran, particularly in the field of environment since around 50 percent of Congo's land area is covered by forest habitats.

Salajeqeh, for his part, said that Iranian knowledge-based companies have strong capabilities to transfer technology to Congo in the mentioned fields.

He went on to say that knowledge-based companies can also share their valuable experiences in forest management with Congo.

Highlighted the up-to-date, scientific, and diverse methods adopted by the country, he further said that Iran can offer different models and solutions for addressing environmental challenges to other countries including Congo.

Intl. conference on SDSs

The International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms (SDSs) was held in Tehran on September 9-10, 2023.

The event was a further step towards the implementation of the environmental protection policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It was also based on Paragraph 15 of the general environmental policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran specified by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Based on this paragraph, the country is required to strengthen environmental diplomacy by endeavoring to create and strengthen regional institutions in order to stand against sand and dust storms as well as water pollution.

In addition, this diplomacy can be further developed through objective and effective bilateral, multilateral, regional, and international environmental cooperation.

It is one of the consequences of issues such as unsustainable industrial and agricultural development, overutilization of water resources, climate change, desertification, wars, and other human interventions.

Since sand and dust storms are cross-border phenomena, all countries – including countries of origin and countries touched by such phenomena – are required to cooperate with each other in order to be able to tackle this issue.

This is a vitally important issue highlighted in the International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms held in Tehran in which representatives of some 50 countries and 15 international organizations participated.

The fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran hosted this prestigious international conference indicates that the international community has acknowledged Iran’s potential and capabilities for creating a multilateral consensus for tackling such an urgent issue.

The 6th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6)  approved a resolution adopted at the international summit on dealing with sand and dust storms held in Tehran in September 2023.

The UNEA-6 was held from February 26 to March 1 at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment.

The Tehran conference was a turning point in making serious decisions for implementing sub-regional programs in West Asia and Central Asia.

Recent measures

Within the last decades, environmental problems have greatly affected nature and people’s lives. Air pollution, as a man-made problem originating from economic and industrial factors, accounts for millions of deaths every year.

The Department of Environment by developing environment houses aims to deal with the country's environmental challenges and needs by improving scientific and knowledge-based research.

It also seeks to improve the individual, organizational, and managerial capacities of innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, students, and academic faculty members of universities.

The number of protected areas under the supervision of the Department of Environment has increased 5.5 times after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

Before the Revolution, there were a total of 58 protected areas in the country.

The comprehensive plan studies the condition of wildlife, vegetation, water, and soil. Based on that, the land is classified into several zones.

In these zones, parts of the area are considered only for protection, parts for recreation and nature tourism, and small parts for administrative activities, he explained.

A series of restrictions are imposed on these zones. For example, road construction or mining are banned. These limitations will ultimately lead to better management and preservation of the region.

The fifteenth day of Esfand – the last Iranian calendar month, which falls on March 5, has been approved to be registered on the national calendar as the ‘Environmental Protection Education Day’.

The registration of the Environmental Protection Education Day in the country's official calendar is a valuable event for the environmental society of the country education in the field of environment is one of the basic steps to preserve and protect the country's environment.

MT/MG