26th Meeting of the Project Steering Committee- Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project

The deputy minister of Marine Environment and Wetlands of the Department of Environment and the National Project Director announced holding of the 26th Project Steering Committee meeting of the CIWP on 16th of May 2021. In this online meeting, the acting manager of the Wetlands Conservation and Restoration office, the UNDP resident representative, director general of Environmental Conservation of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Fars and Khuzestan provinces, representatives of Planning and Budget Organization, Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Agriculture Jihad and the associated offices of the Environmental Conservation Organization participated. The meeting started with the welcome notes of Ahmad Reza Lahijanzadeh.

He expressed his satisfaction of the positive and impressive performance of the CIWP, despite all restrictions caused by Covid 19 Pandemic which affected the whole world. To the support and collaboration amongst executive organizations, NGOs and other participants and stakeholders, these achievements are indebted, he acknowledged.
He also stated: “Considering the domain and scope of the activities of the CIWP across the country, it can be mentioned as a significant project” and continued: “This project started in 2005 under a 7-year document and continued its activities with a 5-year strategy, however, the paramount action of this project was done in 2020 that was the preparation and finalization of a 5-year document until 2025 with participation and cooperation of agencies and stakeholders.”
Lahijanzadeh mentioned the success of the modeling local community participation in Lake Urmia Restoration via establishment of sustainable agriculture which is in its seventh year of implementation and said: “Fortunately, the satisfactory results and experiences in this project, which is now in its 7th year of collaboration between the government of Japan and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for restoration of Lake Urmia, could persuade the government of Japan for continuation of the collaborations in the form of a 3-year document, entitled: “Stabilization of Lake Urmia Restoration Achievements and Development of Its Innovative Experiences for Sustainability of Environment and Livelihood” in East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Fars and Khuzestan provinces.
In this meeting, Claudio Providas, the UNDP Resident Representative, appreciated the efforts of the Department of Environment as one of the oldest implementing partners of the UNDP and noted the active participation of member organizations in the Project Steering Committee meeting and their support during the project life, is a guarantee for success and continuation of these collaborations.
Mehri Asnaashari, the acting interim project manager of CIWP, presented the report on performance and key achievements of the project in 2020. She appreciated the members of the steering committee for their perpetual support and noted that achieving the goals set in the 5-year document requires the continuation of cross-sectoral collaborations and inclusion of wetlands-related priorities in national and provincial policies and plans.