People, Environment
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Iran Urges United Nations to Help Achieve SDGs

Iran Urges United Nations to Help Achieve SDGs
Iran Urges United Nations to Help Achieve SDGs

Iran’s top environmental official has called on the United Nations to cooperate with Iran in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals.

Massoumeh Ebtekar, a vice president and the head of Iran’s Department of Environment, made the statement while addressing a meeting of the Strategic Council of the National Committee on Sustainable Development on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by the UN Development Program resident representative in Iran, Gary Lewis, as well as high-ranking officials from relevant organizations, Mehr News Agency reported.

“We expect the UN to lend Iran its assistance, especially with developing capacities and preparing statistical data and detailed reports on the country’s implemented measures to meet its goals,” she said  .

The official noted that a comprehensive and precise report on Iran’s measures can help expand the country’s interaction with the global community in this regard.

She pointed to the adoption of the low-carbon economy scheme by the government as one of DOE’s major steps toward realizing the SDGs, adding that the project is also one of the main focuses of the Sixth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2016-21).

Iran has also submitted its action plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the parliament for ratification, which targets an unconditional 4% reduction in emissions by 2030 and a possible 12% reduction with international assistance and the complete removal of international sanctions.

“Steps have also been taken to enforce the plans, including the Oil Ministry’s effective measures to reduce gas flaring,” she said, adding that Iran’s national plans are in line with global policies.

“Environmental targets used to be the most challenging SDGs to achieve, but today, with the full acknowledgement of the importance of the environment in all sectors and the shift in approaches, the path for reaching the objectives has been cleared.”

The DOE chief noted that there is no need to create new organizations and these objectives can be pursued by assigning new tasks to the existing organizations.

Stressing the importance of inter-sectoral collaboration, as well as with NGOs and academia, she said the council must act as a platform for the full exploitation of the country’s potential toward attaining SDGs.

Ebtekar hoped that following the ratification of climate change policies by USA and China, international plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions will be pursued at a faster pace.

Financialtribune.com