TEHRAN – Ali Salajeqeh, the head of the Department of Environment (DOE), will attend the Green Development Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation  Organization, which is scheduled to be held in Qingdao, China, from July 8 to 9.

Founded in 2000, the forum is sponsored by the Development Research Center (CDRF), a national, public, and non-profit institution directly under the General Office of the State Council's Republic of China.

This year, it will be held under the theme of ‘Joining hands in green development, together promoting harmony between man and nature’, Chinadaily reported.

More than 350 participants, from China and other nations, are expected to attend the event. They will share their insights on advancing green development.

During the forum, Salajeqeh is scheduled to deliver a speech and hold a meeting with Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment, Huang Runqiu. He will also meet with environment ministers of the participating countries, as well as the secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), dolat.ir reported.

The grand event will consist of one main forum and three parallel sub-forums: Year of Ecology of the SCO 2024, Technological Innovation for Green and High-Quality Development, and Climate Action for Green and Low-Carbon Transition.

It is the first high-level event among SCO member countries with a focus on green development, holding great importance for deepening exchanges and cooperation among Central Asian countries and jointly building a green Belt and Road Initiative.

According to Chinadaily report, the initiative of building a green development partnership within the SCO to promote sustainable development will be launched to drive deeper cooperation among SCO countries in green energy, green industries, climate change mitigation, and environmental conservation and to consolidate consensus on green development in the region.

On the sidelines of the forum, several exhibitions and on-site research visits will be set up to showcase the achievements in green, low-carbon, and high-quality development.

Iran, China agree on joint environmental working group

In March, Iran and China agreed to boost cooperation in areas related to the environment by forming a joint working group.

 Salajeqeh, in a meeting with  Runqiu,  highlighted the need to exchange information on environmental protection, IRNA reported.

During the meeting which was held on March 17, the two sides also decided to organize meetings in order to share experiences in this regard.

Salajeqeh referred to China’s valuable experiences in managing water resources, combating deforestation, and dealing with climate change, calling for the use of joint capacities to solve environmental problems.

The Chinese official for his part touched on the agreement signed by the two countries in 2012 and said bilateral cooperation has been very positive, laying the ground for future measures.

MT/MG