TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) and the National Geographical Organization affiliated with the Ministry of Defense have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand joint efforts on environmental protection.

The MOU was signed on Friday by Hamid Zohrabi, an official with the DOE, and Majid Fakhri, the head of the National Geographical Organization, on the sidelines of the 18th International Tourism and Related Industries Exhibition, which was held from February 11 to 14 in Tehran, IRNA reported.

The MOU aims to foster collaborations and synergy in implementing laws, as well as national policy documents, and promote executive, scientific, research, and educational interactions between the two organizations.

Administration’s environmental policies  

During the presidential election, the environmental committee of the elected President Masoud Pezeshkian offered a program with a focus on the preservation of the environment and the stability of the country.

The program is structured around six axes: moving towards a green economy; managing and improving various quantitative and qualitative dimensions of environmental imbalances (such as economy, energy, and water); effectively protecting biological resources (including natural resources and biodiversity); achieving good environmental governance; addressing public demands in the field of environment, and enhancing international bilateral or multilateral cooperation in the field of environment.

To compile the program, general environmental policies, Article 50 of the Constitution, and other national policy documents have been taken into account.

Moreover, the president-elect has highlighted the necessity of observing environmental considerations in development plans.

Pezeshkian believes that no development plan should be initiated without taking environmental considerations into account; in other words, the environment should be the central pillar of all development matters.

Referring to the increasing occurrence of sand and dust storms (SDSs) in the region and the environmental statement on bolstering environmental diplomacy, the administration of Pezeshkian will definitely endorse regional and global interactions to tackle not only SDSs issue but also water diplomacy and transboundary waters as other critical issues.

Exchanging regional and global experiences in the field of environment, laying the ground for facilitating interactions and benefiting from global experiences and modern knowledge, and participating at various levels of environment-related negotiations in order to attract resources, enhance capabilities and secure national interests are parts of objectives in this context.

Drafting a binding legal document within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity to protect biodiversity, and manage valuable ecosystems such as national parks and national natural monuments has been highlighted.

Also, preventing the extinction of endangered species including cheetahs, and bustards will be a top priority.

MT/MG