TEHRAN (Iran News) –The southern city of Shiraz has been designated as the Asian Capital of Environment in 2024 by the Asian Mayors Forum.

The AMF issued a certificate of designation in the name of Shiraz municipality on January 1, IRNA reported.

Shiraz has been elected because of the significant steps taken by the city in dealing with climate change and natural disasters as well as taking effective measures in water resources management.

Conducting environmental studies, establishing an urban management system to save materials and energy, expanding the use of renewable energy, and installing air pollution monitoring devices were among the measures taken in this regard.

In its announcement on Wednesday, the AMF also designated the Iranian northwestern city of Hamedan as the capital of tourism in Asia in 2024.

Asian Mayors Forum

Asian Mayors Forum (AMF) is an international non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to expanding and exalting the relations and cooperation between mayors and city managers in Asia.

AMF aims to help cities develop urban and public diplomacy, knowledge exchange, technical know-how, and experiences of urban management as well as specialized cooperation between members and also strengthen the integration between the Asian cities, mayors, and citizens toward a better life.

AMF was created by the initiative of Tehran Municipality and the support of the Asian Governments and Parliaments and its first official meeting conducted in 2008 coincided with the inauguration of Milad Tower in Tehran hosted by Tehran Municipality with the attendance of more than 100 mayors and urban managers.

The founding belief behind the forum is ‘Asia for citizens, Integration for a better life’.

4th intl. conference on conservation of environment

The fourth international conference on the conservation of environment and natural resources opened on November 22, 2023,  in the northwestern city of Ardabil and ran for two days.

Protection and restoration of forest ecosystems; forest health and biodiversity; ecological approach to forests and pastures management; climate change; environmental hazards and ecological resilience; assessing, modeling, and managing water, soil, and plant resources were the main objectives of the conference.

Remote sensing and geographic information systems; community-based forests and pastures management; laws, rights, and natural resources governance; environment and socio-economic issues; environmental and civil engineering; sustainable urban, rural, and ecotourism development; biosecurity and environmentally-friendly agriculture; and green investment, management and supply of raw materials for wood and paper industries were the other main objectives.

Environmental protection Education Day

On November 7, the fifteenth day of Esfand – the last Iranian calendar month, which falls on March 5, was approved to be registered on the national calendar as the ‘Environmental Protection Education Day’.

Nourollah Moradi, the Department of Environment’s director for educational affairs, said that the Environmental Protection Education Day is the second environmental event to be registered in the country’s official calendar, IRNA reported.

Clean Earth Day, April 22, was the first environmental event registered in the national calendar.

He referred to the registration of the Environmental Protection Education Day in the country’s official calendar as a valuable event for the environmental society of the country and said, “Education in the field of environment is one of the basic steps to preserve and protect the country’s environment.”

“It will be an important measure taken to enhance environmental literacy and empower the next generations.”

National Tree Planting Day is annually celebrated on the fifteenth day of Esfand – the last Iranian calendar month, falling on March 5. The day also marks the beginning of the National Week of Natural Resources.

Environmental protection a priority

In May 2023, Stefan Priesner, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Iran, said the issue of environmental protection is a priority for cooperation with Iran.

According to the program under the agreement between Iran and the United Nations, the environment is one of the priorities for cooperation and efforts are being made to establish good cooperation in this field, he added.

He made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran with Ali Salajeqeh, the head of the Department of Environment.
Following up on environmental issues, including climate change, protecting biodiversity, and dealing with air pollution, is given serious attention by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Priesner stressed.

Salajeqeh, for his part, referred to holding the international conference on dealing with sand and dust storms that is due to be held in September in Iran as a great opportunity to use the experiences and maximum participation of other countries and international organizations in managing and reducing the effects of this problem.

He touched on cruel sanctions against Iran, saying that the United Nations should use international capacities such as environmental conventions to help the country fulfill commitments in climate change, biodiversity, waste management, and so on.

In February, Salajeqeh said that based on the successful experiences of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of combating sand and dust storms, the United Nations introduced Iran as the host of the international conference on combating sand and dust storms, IRIB reported.

Arrangements have been made with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and this meeting will be held in Tehran with the presence of the environment ministers of the world countries, Salajeqeh said.

In the field of diplomacy, the Department of Environment has held meetings with neighboring countries to the extent that Egypt has also announced its readiness to attend the Tehran meeting, he highlighted.