TEHRAN – The Ramsar Convention Secretariat has extended Iran’s certificate to host its regional center for the next three years, an official with the DOE has said.

The Ramsar Convention Secretariat renewed the mandate during the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, held from July 23 to 31, 2025, in Victoria Falls City, Zimbabwe.  IRNA quoted Ahmad Lahijanzadeh as saying.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in the city of Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. This intergovernmental treaty provides the framework for international cooperation on wetland conservation. The convention officially came into force in 1975. Since then, many countries have become Contracting Parties to the convention.

The conservation and sustainable management of wetlands and their associated aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, the protection of migratory birds and wetland-dependent species, international cooperation on the exchange of knowledge and joint management of wetlands, especially transboundary wetlands, are among the main objectives of the Ramsar Convention.

Over time, the convention has developed management and research tools and has shared expertise among countries. More than 2,400 wetlands have been designated by the contracting parties.

The goal of the Ramsar Regional Centre – Central and West Asia (RRC-CWA) is to enhance the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in the region through training, research, advocacy, and public awareness programs. The RRC-CWA supports implementation activities of contracting parties for the effective management and conservation of wetlands. The contracting parties include 15 countries, namely Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.

Referring to the recent measures, the official said the center, in cooperation with China, has started the operational phase for the protection of mangrove forests. Iranian experts attended a two-week training course held in September in China, with the next courses to be held in the near future.

The center is also planning to hold in-person and virtual training courses with the participation of representatives from the 15 countries.

Following the center’s efforts, the representative for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is scheduled to pay a visit to the center in two weeks to review the facilities, infrastructure, and help provide some of the equipment needed by the center through international aid.

Environmental diplomacy is in full swing

Shina Ansari, the head of the DOE, says that promoting environmental diplomacy has been put atop the agenda over the past year, and activities in this regard are progressing with strength.

“During the past year, I had four foreign trips, but I tried my best to make the most of these trips. The speeches we gave on specialized panels, the bilateral meetings held with countries, in which various cross-border issues and demands were raised, all strengthened the country’s environmental diplomacy,” Ansari said in a press conference held in Tehran on August 2, 2025.

“The membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the representative of West Asia in the Steering Committee and Co-Chair of the Convention’s Strategic Program and receiving Wetland City certification for Gandoman [in southwestern Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province], Kiashahr [in northern Gilan province], and Babol [in northern Mazandaran province] have also been other successes in the field of environmental diplomacy.”

She went on to say that cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in implementing a waste management project continues, with a focus on empowering local communities.

“The issue of reducing the level of the Caspian Sea is also on our agenda. Given that this week, Thursday, is International Caspian Day, one of our plans and those of other countries bordering the Caspian Sea is the issue of reducing the water level of this sea. Iran has been selected as the host of the event, and God willing, we will have special programs in this regard.”

The new Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands has elected Iran as the Vice-Chair for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which took place from July 23 to 31 in Victoria Falls City, Zimbabwe.

The meeting was held under the theme “Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future.” This COP aimed to adopt a new strategic plan for 2025-2034, the Convention’s fifth action plan.

MT/MG