The first national conference, titled Diplomacy and transboundary environmental challenges, was held with the presence of Mohammad Hassan Sheykholeslami, the head of the Institute for Political and International Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ali Salajegheh, the head of the Environment Organization, Ms. Tajbakhsh, the head of the Meteorological Organization, Reza Najafi, the deputy of legal and international affairs and a group of university professors and researchers at the place of the Institute for Political and International Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 26, 2023.
Mohammad Hassan Sheykholeslami, the head of the Institute for Political and International Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the beginning of this conference: Environmental pursuit will not be possible without the empathy and cooperation of all government institutions; I am very happy that the path traveled in the last six months was spent in this field. This conference was formed to help the development of environmental Diplomacy. Increasing public awareness and increasing national participation in environmental challenges are other goals of this conference. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs put the initiative of holding this conference on the agenda, within the framework of the set goals and taking into account the orders of Iran's high officials regarding the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in environmental issues.
He continued: The first conference on Diplomacy and dealing with environmental challenges will be held with the cooperation of various organizations. The problems and consequences of climate change and marine pollution are important issues the 13th government is serious about solving.
The national conference aims to create new literature with a forward-looking approach and look at the future perspective to achieve goals at different management levels of the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related departments hope to hold a regional or international conference with the synergy achieved next year.
In the end, the head of the Institute for Political and International Studies stated his hope that this conference would be the first step and an important turning point in solving transboundary challenges in various environmental fields.
In addition, Ali Salajegheh, the head of the Environment Organization, said: When Wagner proposed the theory of the separation of the earth, he did not think that the earth's environment is inseparable. The Qur'an says we have created you into different populations so that you may gain knowledge. We now see commonalities between populations that do not separate the environment.
He continued: In this regard, according to the duty of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also the Environmental Organization, which is a member of many organizations, it is with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to achieve its goals. We found a common language in many foreign meetings, and this principle is the basis of the unity of the countries. According to the UN resolution, Iran was obliged to hold the dust meeting next year.
Salajegheh said: What threatens the world is climate change; we are obliged to talk about it in many meetings. When we look at human activities, the world is limiting us, and our country, which is based on rich religious teachings, demands to be the best and give keywords to the world. Pollution and environmental changes should be addressed in the meetings.
He added: We have problems in sea issues, and before others come to us and impose their laws, we must unite and solve the problems. God willing, we will hold a meeting in Tehran to deal with the Caspian Sea.
Salajegheh emphasized: I hope that the process that has been undertaken and that Iran can be the flag bearer in dealing with the region's environmental problems; God willing, we will organize agendas. We drafted the climate change draft, which will be sent to the Islamic Consultative Assembly as soon as possible.
Next, Reza Najafi, the deputy of legal and international affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, read the message of the Foreign Minister. He said: the result of human indulgence and unkindness are the many challenges the world's people are dealing with. Interfering with the environment and destroying it has caused concern for the development and security of communities. On the other hand, war and terrorism have caused the destruction of the environment and infrastructure. Terrorism and interference of foreigners in the region have caused the destruction of the environment and intensified territorial destruction. In the region, numerous wars have had terrible effects on the region's environment. These damages are such that dozens of regional cooperation are needed for reconstruction. Since environmental challenges are closely related to other issues, any measures require the cooperation of all organizations. Unfortunately, developed countries have the worst damage to the environment; they do not pay attention to their responsibilities. At the regional level, small steps have been taken to deal with environmental challenges, and the implementation of agreements requires will.
He added: In our country, environmental damage has become a daily issue for some provinces and has left some damage. The participation of related domestic institutions can reduce environmental issues. Several resolutions have been approved by international organizations with the follow-up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Based on this issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready for sustainable bilateral and multilateral cooperation. These issues have affected all the people of the region. Avoiding environmental cooperation is not beneficial for any country, and we hope to see increased cooperation between countries in the region.
In the continuation of the conference, the four central issues of Diplomacy and climate change, Diplomacy and solutions to deal with the dust phenomenon, Diplomacy and sustainable management of rivers and common water resources, and Diplomacy and pollution of the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman were examined in four separate panels.