TEHRAN (Iran News) International Mountain Day, celebrated on December 11, focuses in 2024 on sustainable solutions for mountain regions, emphasizing innovation, climate adaptation, and youth participation to address the challenges faced by mountain communities.

For centuries, mountain communities have developed strategies to adapt to harsh conditions while protecting and restoring biodiversity.

In 2024, International Mountain Day highlights three key priorities: innovation, climate adaptation, and youth engagement.

Innovations are essential to solve the complex challenges in mountain areas, combining technological advances with creative approaches like climate-smart agriculture.

Climate change continues to threaten mountain ecosystems, making adaptation strategies critical to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience.

These strategies include disaster risk reduction tailored to specific ecosystems and leveraging indigenous knowledge.

Youth participation plays a key role in ensuring long-term sustainability.

The 2024 theme calls for providing opportunities such as decent jobs, accessible education, and entrepreneurial initiatives to enable youth to contribute to the sustainable management of mountain resources.

Mountains are vital ecosystems, supporting 15% of the global population and hosting half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

They are also a crucial source of water, food, and energy for nearly half of humanity.

However, mountains are increasingly threatened by climate change, land degradation, natural disasters, and overexploitation.

Rising global temperatures have accelerated the melting of mountain glaciers, endangering freshwater supplies for millions of people.

Land degradation affects over 311 million people in mountainous areas of developing countries, with 178 million facing food insecurity.

International Mountain Day was established in 1992 following the adoption of Agenda 21 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

The day was first observed in 2003 after the UN declared 2002 as the International Year of Mountains.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) leads the global coordination for the preparation and implementation of the event.

International Mountain Day continues to raise awareness about the significance of mountain regions, calling for global action to safeguard these natural treasures.

On International Mountain Day, the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to Iran, Turdakun Sydykov, highlighted Kyrgyzstan’s initiatives to promote sustainable development in mountain regions, addressing climate challenges and international cooperation.

Here is the full text of his statement about the international initiatives of the Kyrgyz Republic on promoting sustainable development of mountain regions:

1. Mountain agenda

Climate change poses a serious threat to the most important aspects of life in mountain countries. These include an increase in natural disasters, threats to food security, growing hungry populations, the most vulnerable of whom are women and girls, slower economic growth, water scarcity and growing tensions between countries.

In the 21st century, mountain countries will face many challenges and problems. In this regard, it is necessary to build in advance a system of joint actions of mountain countries to prevent and mitigate them. The first thing that should be done to achieve this goal is to unite their efforts. Only joint efforts can stop the processes of gradual degradation of mountain regions in the light of climate change.

Kyrgyzstan, as a mountainous country, deeply realizes its responsibility to ensure the well-being of mountain regions and their sustainable development.

Kyrgyzstan is taking consistent steps within the framework of the UN to gradually build up the global agenda for sustainable mountain development. Since the early 2000s, Kyrgyzstan has been actively working to attract the attention of the world community to mountain issues, in particular, by the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic the following events were held:

1. Declaring 2002 as the International Year of Mountains;

2. Holding the first Bishkek Global Mountain Summit in Bishkek in 2002;

3. Establishment of December 11 as the International Mountain Day at the 57th session of the UN General Assembly;

4. Adoption from 1998 to 2019 by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) of the 13th International Day of Mountains. Adoption by the UN General Assembly (GA) of 13 resolutions on mountain countries (A/RES/53/24, A/RES/55/189, A/RES/57/245, A/RES/58/216, A/RES/59/238, A/RES/60/198, A/RES/62/196, A/RES/64/205, A/RES/66/205, A/RES/68/217, A/71/463/Add.10, A/74/209, A/RES/77/172);

5. Formation of the Group of Friends of Mountain Countries on 29 August 2019, comprising 26 States (Afghanistan, Andorra, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Canada, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Nepal, Norway, Peru, Romania, Rwanda, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey and Switzerland);

6. At the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic, the 76th session of the UNGA adopted a resolution to declare 2022 the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development.

7. The 77th session of the UNGA adopted a resolution to declare 2023-2027 as the “Five Years of Action for Development”. “Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions“ (”the Five Years”). The Resolution was adopted unanimously without a vote. 109 UN Member States co-sponsored it.

On our initiative and with the broad support of our mountain partners, the “Five-Year Action Plan for the Development of Mountain Regions for the period from 2023 to 2027” is currently being implemented. We have taken a systematic approach to its implementation: at the national level we are implementing the Roadmap, at the international level – the Global Action Plan, which in 2023 and 2024 were presented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic at the UN headquarters in New York. It is important for us to ensure access to health care and education, economic and social systems for the inhabitants of mountainous areas. In addition, Kyrgyzstan is initiating the creation of a Global Mountain University, the purpose of which is to create an educational platform for solving current problems facing mountain regions, training personnel, and improving the level of knowledge and qualifications of specialists who contribute to sustainable mountain development.

In turn, Kyrgyzstan does not stand aside, in this year we decided to make a modest voluntary contribution to the budget of the Secretariat of the Mountain Partnership in Rome.

Mountain initiatives of the Kyrgyz Republic were reflected in the final reports of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Thanks to the efforts of many mountain countries, the mountain agenda was included in the final document and includes five references to mountains and contains a formal request for a dialog on mountains and climate change. Also, as a result of the forum on the role of mountains under the Nairobi Work Program of the UNFCCC, “Mountains, high latitudes and the cryosphere” was declared a priority thematic area for 2024.

The key event to promote the mountain agenda on a global scale was the participation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Mr. Sadyr Zhaparov in the UN Climate Change Conference – COP29 World Leaders Summit in Baku, which demonstrated the commitment of Kyrgyzstan to address climate issues within the framework of membership in the UNFCCC and the goals of the Paris Agreement, readiness to participate in international climate processes and consistent focus in promoting the mountain agenda at the global level.

Kyrgyzstan organized its national pavilion for the first time and an extensive program of side events was held on thematic days.

On the margins of the COP29 on November 13 this year in Baku with the participation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Mr. Sadyr Zhaparov a High-Level Meeting/Dialogue on Mountains and Climate was held. This High-level event was co-organized by Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Azerbaijan, and it was also attended by the Presidents of Mongolia and Nepal.

33 countries supported the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic on the “Call to Action to consolidate the Mountains and Climate Dialogue in the annual calendar of the UNFCCC”.

The Kyrgyz side initiated the “Declaration on Climate Change, Mountains and Glaciers”, presented on the margins of the COP29 in Baku, which was supported by 15 countries as the Final Document of the High-Level Dialogue.

Kyrgyzstan actively promotes the mountain agenda at three international platforms: the UN in New York, the FAO Mountain Partnership in Rome and the UNFCCC, a group of friends to promote mountain initiatives: the Group of Friends of Mountain Countries of the UN in New York (29 countries), at the invitation of Kyrgyzstan in this year Lesotho joined the group.

Member countries of the Mountain Partnership under the chairmanship of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat in Rome (65 countries). In this year, work was carried out to expand the Negotiating Group of the UNFCCC Mountain Partnership, established in December 2023, which initially had Kyrgyzstan and Andorra as members. Also, this year Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Mongolia joined this group. Nepal, Italy, Bhutan, Zimbabwe have expressed their willingness to join thi8s group.

The Second Global Bishkek Mountain Summit “Bishkek+25” to be held in Bishkek in 2027 was announced by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Mr. Sadyr Zhaparov at the General debates of the 78th and 79th session of the UNGA in New York.

The Kyrgyz Republic is actively announcing the holding of the Second Mountain Summit among foreign partners. Active work is being carried out to attract investments from international partners. We count on the support of the UN member states and other international and regional organizations in providing practical assistance in holding the Mountain Summit in 2027. The Kyrgyz Republic invites all countries, including, of course, the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran, to participate in the Mountain Summit at a high level.

Climate finance

We, the UN Member States, meet regularly to discuss climate issues and find solutions. No country remains indifferent and indifferent. But not all of us have equal conditions and opportunities to solve them and realize our climate commitments, including those undertaken within the framework of the UN Convention on Climate Change.

In this context, Kyrgyzstan fully supports the position of the esteemed UN Secretary-General on the need to reform the international financial architecture and reduce the debt burden on developing and vulnerable states.

TEHRAN (Iran News) Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei announced the development on Friday, calling Mehregan a symbol of unity and collaboration.

“Following Nowruz and Sadeh, Mehregan has now become the third Iranian ritual to be inscribed on UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage,” Baghaei stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“Congratulations! Mehregan represents kindness and tolerance among Iranian ethnic groups and highlights the cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran in preserving and promoting their shared historical, civilizational, and cultural heritage,” he added.

Baghaei underscored the responsibility to honor and revive the cultural and human connections among the region’s nations, calling it a shared duty.

Mehregan, celebrated on the 16th day of Mehr, the seventh month in the Iranian calendar—corresponding to October 8 in the Gregorian calendar—, marks the arrival of autumn. The festival, rooted in ancient Persian traditions dating back to the Achaemenid era or earlier, symbolizes themes of love, unity, and renewal.

The celebration includes family gatherings, shared meals, gift exchanges, and rituals expressing gratitude for nature’s abundance. Its customs emphasize kindness, tolerance, and cultural preservation, reflecting Iranian values of hospitality and social harmony.

Mehregan also serves as a bridge between past and present, strengthening bonds within the community and showcasing the enduring richness of Persian civilization.

TEHRAN (Iran News) The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iran has welcomed a ¥690 million ($4.6 million) contribution from Japan to advance wetland conservation efforts and promote climate-adapted livelihoods in Lake Urmia, Shadegan, Parishan, and Anzali wetlands.

Japan, a long-time partner of UNDP and the Iranian government since 2014, has consistently supported sustainable resource management and community livelihood diversification in Iran’s wetland basins.

The latest agreement, signed on Dec. 1, 2024, formalizes a project titled “The Project for Developing Conservation System of Wetlands in Lake Urmia and Other Wetlands including their Surrounding Communities.” The initiative will run from 2024 to 2028 in collaboration with Iran’s Department of Environment and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Building on prior achievements, the project aims to expand successful conservation practices, focusing on sustainable agriculture and alternative livelihoods adapted to climate challenges. The approach seeks to preserve wetland biodiversity while improving community well-being.

“Over the past ten years, the unwavering support from the People and the Government of Japan has positively impacted agricultural productivity and enhanced livelihoods in target communities,” said Gulbahor Nematova, UNDP Iran Deputy Resident Representative. “In the next four years, we will continue promoting innovative, water-efficient agricultural practices while emphasizing scaling up for a better future for all.”

Highlighting the project’s importance, Japan’s Ambassador to Iran Tamaki Tsukada, emphasized the critical role of Iran’s 26 wetlands listed under the Ramsar Convention. “These wetlands, including Lake Urmia, are vital for biodiversity and migratory birds and must be conserved with international cooperation,” he said.

The Ambassador pointed out that conserving Lake Urmia requires managing excessive water extraction, improving irrigation systems to adapt to climate change, and developing sustainable industries like eco-tourism. He expressed optimism about the project’s potential to address these challenges while generating knowledge and technology applicable to other Iranian wetlands.

“We hope that the new project signed today will contribute to the environmental protection and economic development of the areas around the wetlands,” Tsukada added.

UNDP is the United Nations’ leading development organization, operating in 170 countries to deliver sustainable solutions for people and the planet.

TEHRAN (Iran News) Demonstrators convened in front of the UN representation in Tehran, carrying miniature shrouds symbolizing the killing of children by Israeli forces in Gaza and Lebanon.

Participants demanded the expulsion of Israel from the United Nations, accusing the regime of committing atrocities against civilians in the region.

The protest, marked by chants and symbolic gestures, highlighted growing calls for international accountability regarding the humanitarian situation in the conflict zones.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for their involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict.

The charges include the use of starvation as a method of warfare and attacks on civilians. This unprecedented action against a sitting leader of a major Western ally has elicited strong reactions globally, with Israel and the United States rejecting the ICC’s jurisdiction, while other nations and organizations have expressed support for the court’s decision.

TEHRAN (Iran News) A total of 700 plaintiffs, including the families of the martyrs who have lost their lives in the battle against the US-sponsored terrorist and Takfiri groups in defense of the holy Shiite shrines, had lodged a complaint against the US government at the 55th division of the court of Tehran on international legal lawsuits.

The court’s judge announced his verdict on Saturday, ruling that the US government –the sponsor of the terrorist groups- should pay a total of $48.86 billion in compensation to the families of the martyrs.

TEHRAN (Iran News) Known as the first Iranian food processing plant using plasma technology for the sterilization and decontamination of food products, the factory came into operation in the city of Rafsanjan, a hub of pistachio cultivation.

The factory has the capacity to process three tons of products an hour.

In the first phase of operation, the plant is expected to decontaminate and process 6,000 tons of nuts per annum, such as pistachios, almonds, and peanuts, as well as cereal crops and legumes such as corn and oil grains.

Food irradiation is the process of exposing foodstuffs to rays to kill bacteria that can cause food-borne disease and to increase shelf-life. It has the same benefits as when food is heated, refrigerated, frozen, or treated with chemicals, but does not change the temperature or leave residues.

In all parts of the world, there is growing use of irradiation technology to preserve food. More than 60 countries worldwide have introduced regulations allowing the use of irradiation for food products including spices, grains, fruit, vegetables, and meat.

It can replace potentially harmful chemical fumigants used to eliminate insects from dried fruit and grain.

According to FAO, nuclear techniques help national authorities in over 50 countries to improve food safety by addressing the problem of harmful residues and contaminants in food products and to improve their traceability systems with stable isotope analysis.

TEHRAN (Iran News) Soltanifar reported that these services were extended to 62,711 non-Iranian pilgrims from 30 different nationalities at Dar al-Shifa, near the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in northeastern Iran. He emphasized the accessibility of the center’s diagnostic and therapeutic services for all visitors. “Most of the medical assistance involved clinical consultations, lab tests, injections, and emergency care,” Soltanifar noted. He highlighted that pilgrims from Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan were frequent visitors, with Iraqi patients representing 71% of those treated.

Imam Reza shrine also offers free emergency services to visitors and residents, with Montaseriyeh Hospital, the largest endowment-based hospital in Iran, serving both Iranian and non-Iranian patients. Since its reopening in 2010, Montaseriyeh Hospital has performed over 6,000 organ transplants, including services for foreign patients, according to Director Mohsen Ali Akbarian. “With support from Imam Reza shrine, the hospital resumed services and offers comprehensive healthcare facilities,” said Akbarian.

Since 2021, the hospital’s Health Tourism Department has facilitated transplants for patients from several countries, including Lebanon and Iraq.

Razavi Hospital, another health center associated with the shrine, employs around 500 nurses dedicated to patient care. “Our nurses prioritize ethics and patient care quality, reflecting the hospital’s connection to Imam Reza shrine,” said Saeed Moushekaf, deputy chief of nursing. Nurse Sara Farrokhrad described her work as deeply fulfilling, serving patients who come with intentions of healing. Fellow nurse Hossein Aghebatinia expressed a similar commitment, attributing his dedication to Imam Reza’s influence.

Razavi Hospital also runs a specialized infertility treatment center in line with shrine custodians’ initiatives to support family growth, offering advanced services for Iranian and foreign couples. In addition, Dar al-Shifa’s emergency base provides round-the-clock diagnostic and treatment services for pilgrims.

In its “Thursdays of Health” initiative, Razavi Hospital has offered nearly 9,000 free medical services to impoverished areas in Razavi Khorasan province over the past eight months. Services have reached numerous villages, involving health screenings, counseling, and free eyeglasses distribution for vision problems.

Razavi Hospital’s Director, Mohsen Mehvar, reported that the hospital has provided free healthcare valued at approximately 680 billion Rials to underprivileged areas over the last three and a half years.

Monthly camps are held with expert teams in various fields to address healthcare needs in these regions. Mehvar stated that Razavi Hospital also supplies medical equipment to deprived areas under orders from shrine officials, furthering its community healthcare mission.

TEHRAN (Iran News) Iranian satellites Kowsar and Hodhod were sent into space as part of a payload carried by the Russian Soyuz launcher, which delivered 53 satellites to orbit.

This launch represents a significant advancement for Iran, highlighting the first satellite manufacturing and launching attempt from its private space sector.

The Kowsar satellite, weighing 30 kilograms, is a high-resolution sensing satellite designed for applications in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental monitoring, and disaster response.

With a resolution capability of 3.45 meters, Kowsar surpasses Iran’s goal of producing satellites with 10-meter ground sample distance (GSD) cameras by 2025.

Kowsar has a lifespan of 3.5 years in orbit, positioned at an altitude of 500 kilometers, and is capable of capturing six frames per second over a 15-kilometer range.

Its imaging is achieved using an RGB camera with 3.45-meter resolution and an NIR camera with 5.5-meter resolution, supported by a maximum platform weight of 35 kilograms.

The satellite’s orbital period is 5,677 seconds, with pointing and stability accuracies of 1 degree and 0.05 degrees per second, respectively.

Power is sustained by its 44 watt-hour production capacity, and it consumes 29 watt-hours to operate its payloads.

Meanwhile, Hodhod serves as a small communications satellite intended to create satellite-based communication networks and enhance Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity.

Targeted at regions with limited terrestrial communication access, Hodhod offers communication solutions in remote and inaccessible areas.

Built to the CubeSat standard, the satellite operates in a 500-kilometer orbit and supports precision agriculture, transportation, logistics, and environmental monitoring. Its primary mission focuses on expanding IoT capabilities.

TEHRAN (Iran News) The drug’s development process, which took around five years and included over 400 formulation trials, was showcased at the 15th International Nano and Micro Exhibition.

Unlike traditional addiction medications injected directly into the bloodstream, this microdrug utilizes polymer-based microspheres to encapsulate the drug, allowing it to be slowly released over 30 days.

In an interview with national television, a representative explained that “a month after injection, the addiction-related brain receptors are blocked, so even if a patient uses drugs or alcohol, they don’t experience euphoria,” which reduces their desire to use substances.

This innovative microdrug is not only aimed at treating addiction but has also been adapted for other treatments, such as extended pain relief for cancer patients.

While similar American drugs cost over $2,000, the Iranian version is priced under 3 million tomans, making it more accessible to local patients.

According to the Secretary of the Nanotechnology and Microtechnology Headquarters, sales of health-related nanoproducts have doubled compared to the previous year, with an economic impact exceeding direct sales due to reduced foreign currency outflow.

This year’s Nano Exhibition features over 230 organizations, including around 60 companies focused especially on micro-technology products.