TEHRAN (Iran News) Even the excuse that the government lacks sufficient funds to carry out major projects under this plan cannot justify inaction. To achieve the plan’s objectives, tens of billions of dollars in foreign investment are required annually, while under the best of circumstances, Iran attracts only a fraction of that amount. Statistics indicate that investment in the country has not only failed to grow but has sharply declined—by as much as 60 percent.

The plan’s target of 8 percent economic growth is being set at a time when Iran’s economic growth in recent years has largely been around or below zero. The government believes that reducing inflation from above 50 percent to below 10 percent within five years appears highly optimistic given current conditions. Its critique is that the goal of creating one million jobs per year—a goal that was not met even in previous plans—is inconsistent with the current structure of Iran’s economy.

The tax system and extensive exemptions prevent the government’s projected revenues from materializing. Any reform in the subsidy system, pension funds, or monopolies faces strong resistance from vested interest groups.

According to parliamentary reports, only 18 to 25 percent of the targets set in the Third through Sixth Development Plans were actually achieved. This record reveals a structural flaw in the very nature of planning that leads to chronic non-implementation.

The Pezeshkian administration itself has submitted a report to Parliament identifying 147 provisions of the current plan—including key goals related to growth and employment—as “infeasible.”

Given these circumstances, one can say that the Seventh Development Plan is a two-sided orphan—with neither an executor determined to implement it nor a capable overseer to demand accountability from the government or propose solutions to bridge the gap between the plan’s goals and the government’s capacities.

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The chain of knowledge, research, innovation, and technology ensures sustainable development in the country, he added.

The president made the remarks at the ending ceremony of the 36th Khwarizmi International Festival, the 24th Khwarizmi Youth Award, and the 24th Khwarizmi Youth Award, which was held in Tehran on Tuesday, IRNA reported.

“Our religious leaders benefited from the knowledge and advised the society to learn science and wisdom.

They gave a privileged position to wise men, scientists, and researchers and always encouraged someone who was a person of wisdom and thoughtfulness.”

“Our interaction with all nations and governments in the world should be for the transfer of knowledge and technology, and our interaction with all neighboring countries, in the region and globally, should be based on this criterion,” Raisi highlighted.

The ending ceremony of the festival also honored exemplary participants.

Contestants participated in the fields of aerospace, civil engineering, materials, metallurgy and new energies, agriculture, natural resources, animal sciences and veterinary medicine, electrical and computer, mechanics, basic sciences, green technology, mechatronics, biotechnology, and basic medical sciences, industry and technology management, medical sciences, chemical technologies, information technology, and nanotechnology.

The selected plans of the 36th Khwarizmi International Award included development projects in the specialized group of electrical and computer engineering, aerospace, and biotechnology.

The 24th Khwarizmi Youth Award also has four winners who are in the specialized groups of mechanical engineering, metallurgy, and new energies.

The First Khwarizmi Innovation and Technology festival also has four winners in the specialized groups of electrical and computer engineering, new technologies, and mechanical engineering.

Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology proposed the creation of the Khwarizmi Award in memory of Abu Jafar Mohammad Ibn Mousa Khwarizmi, the great Iranian Mathematician, and Astronomer (770-840 C.E).

The first session of the Khwarizmi Award, in 1987, called for Iranian nationals to present their outstanding contribution, invention, or innovation.

Innovation, technology ecosystem

The country’s progressing process of development has accelerated with the emphasis on the formation of the technology and innovation ecosystem and the approval of laws for supporting knowledge-based companies and boosting Iran-made products.

Today, we are witnessing the positive effects of adopting the approach in the economy, culture, and daily life of people.

the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy has reported that the sales of knowledge-based companies in the fiscal year 1400 (March 2021-March 2022) hit 4,000 trillion rials (about $10 billion) compared to the fiscal year 1399, an increase of 86 percent year on year.

Improving the scientific level of society, achieving high global rankings in the number of scientific articles, references, and patenting, reducing the illiteracy rate, and increasing the number of university courses and students are only a part of the achievements after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

According to the latest statistics, a total of 8,046 knowledge-based companies are operating in the country.

The number of knowledge-based companies in biotechnology, agriculture, and food industries is 362, in advanced pharmaceuticals is 480, in advanced materials (chemistry and polymer) is 1130, and in advanced machinery and equipment is 1721.

Moreover, 326 companies are operating in the field of medical equipment, 1821 companies in electricity and electronics, 1778 companies in information technology, 397 companies in commercialization, and 31 companies in creative industries and humanities.

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He made the remarks at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) which is underway in Egypt from November 6 to 18.

The emergence of economic terrorism is an emerging threat to sustainable development. The unjust economic coercive measures imposed on my country have targeted the well-being and health of our citizens.

Such actions have seriously limited access to and transfer of relevant technologies and equipment that are essential to national mitigation and adaptation efforts as well as air quality improvement, he stated.

These coercive measures, illegal and unilateral sanctions, in clear contradiction to the global sustainable development agenda and relevant multilateral agreements, have implications beyond the borders and thus contribute to global warming, he added.

Our collective efforts must be accompanied by results that have practical guarantees for the sustainable development of developing countries, he highlighted, adding, as the Islamic Republic, we are ready to participate constructively in the negotiation process.

He went on to note that climate change is a challenge with serious implications for all countries around the world, and flexibility for developing countries is the key to success in major areas such as mitigation, adaptation, and capacity building.

The coercive measures and sanctions, in clear contradiction to the global sustainable development agenda, have implications beyond the borders.It is important to remember the principles of the Convention, especially the Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBRD) as well as the historical responsibilities of developed countries.

We value shared responsibility for shared capacities. Therefore, a country that has less access to international capacities will have less responsibility, he stated.

According to the latest IPCC-WGI (November 2022) monitoring of the state of the climate, including precipitation and temperature, an increasing trend of extreme weather events such as heavy rains and heat waves is observed in West and Central Asia by 2100.

In addition, regional studies show that extreme weather such as floods, droughts, and sand and dust storms have become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world, which are serious threats to human health and the environment.

History tells us that win-win approaches last longer. Let’s consider the concerns of all parties. Collaborative approaches in reducing and adapting to climate change should be inclusive and beneficial for all, developed countries have pledged to be pioneers in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and support developing countries in the form of financing as well as technology transfer.

The special situation of developing countries needs to be better investigated and recognized, providing adequate, timely, and predictable support to developing countries is critical. Capacity building in developing countries allows them to expand their participation in tackling climate change.

The current energy crisis in Europe and other regions of the world confirms that the energy system while having elements of sustainability in terms of environmental issues, should focus on other aspects such as affordability and availability, Salajeqeh said.

Our climate strategies must always be comprehensive, balanced, inclusive, and fair. Adopting only one or two options strategies and moving in favor of a single energy source leads to energy instability and more energy poverty.

It does not seem possible to completely eliminate fossil fuels in the short and medium term. Therefore, investing and developing the use of low-carbon fuels such as natural gas and building systems with high energy efficiency can play a sustainable role in providing energy security and sustainable development, he concluded.

The delegation of Iran is scheduled to participate in the ministerial meeting to present a national statement and also conduct bilateral meetings with the ministers of neighboring countries and heads of international organizations on the sidelines of the meeting.

A new report from UN Climate Change shows countries are bending the curve of global greenhouse gas emissions downward but underlines that these efforts remain insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

A second UN Climate Change report on long-term low-emission development strategies, also released, looked at countries’ plans to transition to net-zero emissions by or around mid-century.

The report indicated that these countries’ greenhouse gas emissions could be roughly 68% percent lower in 2050 than in 2019 if all the long-term strategies are fully implemented on time.

The report notes, however, that many net-zero targets remain uncertain and postpone the future critical action that needs to take place now. Ambitious climate action before 2030 is urgently needed to achieve the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.

COP 27 is the moment when global leaders can regain momentum on climate change, make the necessary pivot from negotiations to implementation, and get moving on the massive transformation that must take place throughout all sectors of society to address the climate emergency.

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Speaking in the meeting of the G-24 group’s finance ministers and central bank governors, Ali Saleh-Abadi stated that strong financial support of developing countries is very important, adding: “We welcome the allocation of $651 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) resources to battle coronavirus pandemic and accelerate the economic recovery of countries.”

He noted that the priority of this group should be financial and technical support of developing countries in order to provide them with fair access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The key priority of G-24 Group is the worldwide [COVID-19] vaccination, so it is necessary to accelerate the production and distribution of [COVID-19] vaccines around the world and ensure that all countries have fair access to vaccines.”

The official further urged international banks to cooperate in order to help developing countries overcome the problems created by the pandemic.

“Multilateral development banks have an important role to play in supporting pandemic-related measures, reducing financial constraints, and tackling debt crisis, and we urge the World Bank to adopt a medium-term strategy to help middle-income countries,” Saleh Abadi said.

He also welcomed the strategies taken by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to deal with climate change, saying that this support must be adapted to the economic conditions and structures of all countries.

Saleh-Abadi finally noted that reducing carbon emissions should be in line with the efforts of developing countries to alleviate poverty, inequality, and employment growth.

Elsewhere in the meeting, IMF Head Kristalina Georgieva explained the Fund’s actions in the field of planning and accelerating the access of countries to the COVID-19 vaccine and said: “It is predicted that by the end of this year, 40 percent of the world’s total population will get vaccinated.”

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Of the 750 products and equipment registered in the nanotechnology product database, 535 were related to nano-products and 215 were related to nano-equipment, both of which have experienced a growing trend over the past few years, although nano-products have grown more significantly.

The field of “civil engineering and construction” with 20 percent had the largest share among nano products and equipment, followed by “medicine, health” and “industrial services and supplies” each with 13 percent.

Iran has been introduced as the 4th leading country in the world in the field of nanotechnology, publishing 11,546 scientific articles in 2020.

The country held a 6 percent share of the world’s total nanotechnology articles, according to StatNano’s monthly evaluation accomplished in WoS databases.

Iran ranked 43rd among the 100 most vibrant clusters of science and technology (S&T) worldwide for the third consecutive year, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 report.

The country experienced a three-level improvement compared to 2019.

Sourena Sattari, vice president for science and technology, has said that Iran is playing the leading role in the region in the fields of fintech, ICT, stem cell, aerospace, and is unrivaled in artificial intelligence.

Iranian nanotechnology companies have increased sales by 100 percent over the Iranian calendar year 1398 (March 2019-March 2020), and it is predicted that their revenue will reach up to 80 trillion rials (nearly $1.9 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials), Sattari announced.

Currently, over 5,700 knowledge-based companies are active in the country, manufacturing diverse products to meet the needs of the domestic market while saving large amounts of foreign currency.

The fields of aircraft maintenance, steel, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment, oil, and gas are among the sectors that researchers in technology companies have engaged in, leading to import reduction.

Sattari told the Tehran Times in October 2020 that “U.S. sanctions caused exports of knowledge-based companies to decline three years ago, however, it has returned to growth and is projected to reach the pre-sanctions level of more than $1 billion by the end of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 20, 2021).

Fortunately, last year, companies achieved a record sale of 1.2 quadrillion rials (nearly $28.5 billion), which is expected to increase by 40 percent this year.”

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According to the Public Relations Department of IMIDRO, once operational, the projects will play a leading role in development and growth of the country’s mining industry.

The projects include ‘Jonoob Aluminum’, the largest aluminum ingot production plant in Parsian Special Economic Zone, the inauguration of the first phase of Parsian Port, Ghaenat Direct Reduction (DR) factories in South Khorasan province and Baft in Kerman province along with Jajarm Aluminum Production Plant in North Khorasan province.

Jajarm Aluminum project, with an investment worth $131 million, will produce 40,000 tons of aluminum ingot in the first phase, generating 600 direct and 1,800 indirect jobs, according to IMIDRO.

IMIDRO had previously announced that projects worth nearly $3.5 billion will be put into operation by the end of the current Iranian calendar year.

In late July, IMIDRO’s Deputy and Executive Advisor Abbas Naiemi said new projects going operational by yearend up to 50,000 new job opportunities will be created across the country.

Boosting production, creating jobs, providing infrastructure and making joint venture with the private sector are the main pivots of IMIDRO’s plans.

Given the policies of IMIDRO, planning for stable development of the chain of products, benefiting from the private sector’s capabilities, cooperation with the guilds and associations, reducing the risk of investment, and indigenization of technology will be taken into account once implementing the mentioned projects.

Meanwhile, Gharibpour has recently stressed that his organization has put completing semi-finished projects on its agenda.

The official also said in mid-June, that IMIDRO was planning to establish a consortium in order to accelerate exploration Iran projects in the mining sector.

He said, “The consortium is going to help us in areas like exploration and identification of new mines and minerals”.

According to the IMIDRO head, based on the mining potentials and research and academic capabilities of the country’s provinces, 10 mining regions have been defined in order to manage projects and also utilize the country’s academic potentials in this industry.

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