Ceremony in appreciation of the Japanese government for their contribution and cooperationin the restoration of Lake Urmia

The national manager of Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project informed that a ceremony was held to appreciate the Japanese government for restoration of Lake Urmia in the presence of national and international representatives and ambassadors of various countries including Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, etc.

The ceremony began with the welcoming speech of Claudio Providas, UNDP Resident Representative in Iran and then Nazaridoost, the head of Development Programs and Soleimani Roozbahani, UNDP Programme Analyst, presented the achievements of the project of "Modeling local community participation Lake Urmia in Lake Urmia restoration", respectively. The project is being implemented by CIWP, on behalf of the Department of Environment, in cooperation with the Japanese government and the (UNDP) since 2014.
"The Japanese government has supported the implementation of 6 phases of this project so far, and now has announced its willingness to extend the seventh phase of the project for another consecutive year," said Ali Arvahi. Following the ceremony, the Japanese Ambassador, Mate Sogo, gave a speech on the achievements of Japan's six-year support for the project and appreciated those who contributed to the project.
"I, on behalf of the vice president, and Head of the Department of Environment, Dr. Kalantari, appreciate Japan for their support," said the deputy of the Marine Environment and Wetlands of DoE. "This project has been very successful, and Iran expects to implement such projects to restore other wetlands in Iran in cooperation with the government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)".
He also expressed hope for the current water level of Lake Urmia and stated that the current level of Lake Urmia is 1271.33 meters, which is 60 cm higher in comparison with the last year.
It should be noted that on the sidelines of this ceremony, an exhibition of household products and handicrafts of rural women from Lake Urmia was held. The exhibition was formed as a result of the implementation of this project and the establishment of rural women’s micro-credit funds and livelihoods compatible with water resources in 21 villages.
Publications and achievements of CIWP were also shared with practitioners at the exhibition.