The
officials
met
on
the
sidelines
of
the
15th
meeting
of
the
Conference
of
the
Parties
(COP15),
which
is
taking
place
from
July
23
to
31
July
in
Victoria
Falls
City,
Zimbabwe,
the
doe.ir
reported.
Highlighting
Zimbabwe’s
extensive
experiences
in
wildlife
conservation,
Ndlovu,
who
is
also
COP15
President,
proposed
to
develop
collaborative
efforts
on
water
management
and
the
preservation
of
the
Asiatic
cheetah
through
sharing
scientific
and
practical
expertise.
For
his
part,
Lahijanzadeh
welcomed
the
proposal
on
behalf
of
the
DOE,
while
elaborating
on
the
country’s
environmental
measures.
The
two
officials
agreed
to
sign
a
memorandum
of
understanding
(MOU)
and
put
it
on
the
top
agenda
of
the
two
organizations,
subsequently.
COP15
The
meeting
of
COP15
is
being
held
under
the
theme
“Protecting
Wetlands
for
our
Common
Future.”
The
new
Standing
Committee
of
the
Convention
on
Wetlands
has
elected
Iran
as
the
Vice-Chair
for
the
15th
meeting.
This
COP
aims
to
adopt
a
new
strategic
plan
for
2025-2034,
the
Convention’s
fifth
action
plan.
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.
Saudi
Arabia
is
the
173rd
one,
ISNA
reported.
Moreover,
the
three
Iranian
cities,
including
Babol
in
northern
Mazandaran
province,
Kiashahr
in
northern
Gilan
province,
and
Gandoman
in
southwestern
Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari
province,
received
wetland
city
accreditation
certificates
on
the
first
day
of
COP15
of
the
Ramsar
Convention
on
Wetlands.
Environmental
diplomacy
Being
transboundary,
many
complicated
environmental
challenges
can
be
addressed
through
environmental
diplomacy,
which
means
negotiations
among
two
or
more
countries.
Environmental
diplomacy
is
used
globally
to
settle
problems
such
as
conflicts
over
sources
of
energy,
water,
and
climate
change,
IRNA
reported.
The
fact
that
all
the
countries
share
the
same
environment
necessitates
fostering
environmental
diplomacy
to
settle
disputes
over
water
resources,
environmental
pollution,
and
climate
change
impacts.
Environmental
diplomacy
is
an
effective
and
required
tool
to
mitigate
and
eliminate
the
severe
consequences
by
fair
distribution
of
responsibilities
among
involved
countries
as
they
present
their
national
interests
and
solutions.
Sand
and
dust
storms
(DSDs)
are
a
typical
example
of
meteorological
hazards
in
West
Asia,
where
many
countries
are
involved,
as
some
generate
them
and
some
others
are
affected
by
them.
SDSs
hit
countries
such
as
Saudi
Arabia,
Iraq,
Syria,
Turkey,
Iran,
and
sometimes
parts
of
Azerbaijan,
Turkmenistan,
and
even
Afghanistan
and
Pakistan.
Removing
pollution
from
the
Aras
River
and
securing
the
Hirmand
River
water
rights,
as
well
as
some
wetlands,
are
other
examples
where
environmental
policies
have
been
used
to
resolve
the
conflicts.
Therefore,
to
mitigate
climate
change
impacts
and
achieve
sustainable
development
goals,
environmental
policy
is
required
to
be
strengthened
to
help
Iran,
as
well
as
its
neighboring
countries,
benefit
from
available
resources
and
secure
our
rights
at
the
international
level.
These
dust
particles
have
devastating
impacts
on
respiratory
health
and
ecosystems;
they
result
in
the
closure
of
airports,
schools,
and
offices,
affect
electricity
transmission
infrastructures,
and
bring
about
economic
losses.