TEHRAN – The head of Department of Environment (DOE), Shina Ansari, has highlighted the importance of developing environmental diplomacy among Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states as an inevitable necessity to ensure a sustainable future, underscoring that no country can tackle complex environmental challenges alone.

ECO member states not only share historical, cultural, and economic ties, they also face a host of common environmental challenges such as heatwaves, frequent droughts, water scarcity, land degradation, dust storms, forest fires, and loss of biodiversity, she noted, dolat.ir quoted Ansari as saying.

The official made the remarks while addressing the 6th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Ministerial Meeting on Environment, held on June 3 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Highlighting that the ECO region is among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change, Ansari said these challenges directly affect the well-being, health, security, and sustainable development of the nations.

Sand and dust storms are among the most important transboundary hazards in the region with multifaceted environmental, economic, and social impacts. Enhancing cooperation among regional countries, exchanging data, implementing joint projects, and benefiting from international institutions’ support are essential to successfully tackle dust storms, Ansari noted.

Protecting the region’s fragile ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, arid and semi-arid regions, and marine areas, requires a coordinated and regional approach.

The official went on to say that Iran believes ECO can serve as an effective platform for the development of environmental diplomacy in the region. Hence, the DOE put forward five proposals to promote environmental diplomacy:

Developing a regional cooperation framework to combat dust storms; strengthening regional networks to monitor climate change and exchanging environmental data; expanding cooperation in the field of sustainable management of water resources and combating desertification; developing joint initiatives to protect biodiversity and transboundary ecosystems; and increasing joint efforts in green economy, renewable energy, and clean technologies.

She also announced Iran’s full readiness to expand scientific and technical ties and foster executive partnerships with ECO member states.

Moreover, the official elaborated on the 40-day US-Israel attacks on Iran’s environment and civilian infrastructures, describing the assaults as war crimes with irreparable damage to protected areas, the Persian Gulf, and the Sea of Oman.

She urged the international community to condemn these attacks and take action to stop such measures, saying that inaction in the face of such crimes would weaken confidence in international mechanisms.

“Strengthening regional multilateralism and cooperation among member states will contribute to keeping destructive trans-regional forces away from the Economic Cooperation Organization member states,” she added.

Concurrently with the 6th Ministerial Meeting, the Global Environment Forum (GEF) meetings are also underway for two weeks. The Iranian delegation will participate in the main and high-level segment of the international event. It provides a great opportunity for bilateral and multilateral consultations, featuring the country’s environmental capacities, and following up on issues like securing international funding and promoting cooperation in the environment and climate change fields.

Meeting Uzbek, Tajik, Azeri officials

On the sidelines of the 6th ECO Ministerial Meeting, Ansari held a meeting with Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change. The two sides discussed establishing an early warning system for dust storms and expanding scientific and research cooperation in the environment sector.

The Uzbek official proposed launching a regional dust storm early warning system, noting that other countries in the region would also benefit from the services, doe.ir reported.

He also voiced his country’s interest in sharing expertise on green universities.

For her part, Ansari called for the expansion of ties through conducting joint scientific and research projects, developing an early warning system and air pollution monitoring system, as well as collaborating on the biodiversity sector.

The two sides agreed to share knowledge in modern technologies, such as the reproduction of endangered species, within the framework of regional cooperation.

The head of DOE also met Tajikistan’s Environment Minister, Bahadur Shiralizadeh.

The Tajik official expressed willingness to expand environmental cooperation with Iran.

Ansari, for her part, proposed developing collaborations on biodiversity conservation, wildlife and endangered species protection, and pollution management.

Convening a meeting with Mukhtar Babayev, Environment Minister of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues, officials underscored developing regional and bilateral cooperation to preserve the environment, protect and strengthen ecosystems.

During the meeting, Ansari emphasized joint environmental efforts between the two countries within the framework of the Tehran Convention, and announced Tehran’s readiness to host seven Conference of the Parties (COP7).

Referring to the action plan proposed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for the protection of the Caspian Sea, she said Iran is studying the plan and will announce the results to the UNEP soon.

The official also pinpointed challenges posed by climate change and the Caspian Sea’s decline, and highlighted the significance of enhancing collective action for the preservation of the sea.

She also announced Iran’s readiness to foster climate adaptation, greenhouse gas reduction, protection of Hyrcanian forests, and fighting forest fires through bilateral and regional cooperation.

Babayev, for his part, stated that Azerbaijan will support Iran in hosting COP7. He voiced his country’s willingness for the expansion of environmental ties between the two nations.

Referring to the UN Climate Change Conference, which will convene from November 9 to 20 in Antalya, Turkey, he explored the capacities for partnership between Iran and Azerbaijan, saying that there is potential to utilize the financial resources of the GEF and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to implement environmental projects, particularly in the Caspian Sea.

ECO Ministerial Meeting

The 6th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Environment, held under the overarching theme ‘New Horizons for Enhanced Regional Environmental Action through Collaborative Solutions’, concluded in Samarkand, Republic of Uzbekistan, with the adoption of landmark documents that will navigate regional environmental cooperation for the next five years.

The meeting was chaired by Abdukhakimov. The meeting brought together heads of environmental agencies, representatives of the ECO Secretariat, international organizations, and environmental experts to deliberate on regional responses to climate and environmental challenges.

In a decisive stride, Ministers endorsed the ECO Cooperation Framework on the Environment (2026- 2030) and its two Thematic Annexes – the ECO Work Program on Climate Change (2026- 2030) and the ECO Work Program on Biodiversity (2026- 2030). These documents provide a structured, actionable roadmap for addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, while promoting resource efficiency, circular economy, and clean energy transition.

The Meeting also adopted the Samarkand Declaration on Regional Environmental Cooperation, a unified political statement reaffirming the commitment of ECO Member States to enhanced regional coordination, stronger cooperation, and mobilization of means of implementation, including finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building.

Ministers welcomed the progress of the High-Level Dialogue Platform on Environmental Cooperation and the RESCUE Initiative on circular economy, and instructed the ECO Secretariat to continue working with partners such as UNIDO to advance project development.

The Eighth GEF Assembly marked the Launch of the Indigenous Peoples Ambassador Program, a new award centred around recognizing Indigenous leaders for their unique knowledge, stewardship, and leadership in promoting and protecting primary forests.

MT/MG