The Iranian government has for several years been trying to raise awareness on the significance of energy consumption management in homes and industries.
Consumption of a large portion of the national water and electricity resources can be prudently managed in homes, and women, it is believed, play an important role to inculcate such habits among family members.
The Energy Ministry has decided to help introduce the culture of judicious use of water and electricity starting with families.
To that end, a memorandum of understanding was signed Tuesday between the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs and the Energy Ministry, reports IRNA.
“It is impossible to achieve sustainable development without taking advantage of women’s immense potential,” said Vice President Shahindokht Molaverdi at the signing ceremony of the MoU in the presence of Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian.
“Water crisis is one of the major issues in the next five-year economic development plan (2016-2021) and women as half of the population can play an effective role in addressing the problem.”
Titled “Promoting a Culture of Managing Water and Electricity Consumption Patterns”, the MoU will provide the grounds for optimum use of water and electricity in families.
The details of executing the projects have yet to be discussed and finalized.
“How the MoU will be enforced and other details will be defined under an agreement that will be inked in the near future between the vice presidency and the ministry,” the Vice Presidency’s Deputy for Strategic Studies, Soosan Bastani, told the Financial Tribune.
“This MoU is just a stepping stone for future collaboration” and will pave the way for other agreements, she said. It highlights the role of women and is a step in line with the Resistance Economy, a set of policies outlined by the Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to bolster economic self-reliance and curtail dependence on oil export revenues.
“To promote policies for energy consumption and realizing the targets of the Resistance Economy, the existing capacity in women and families must be tapped,” said Molaverdi stressing that no targets will be fully realized by excluding 50% of the national population.
Harnessing Potential
Chitchian pointed to the importance of women’s presence in all national arenas, saying that women are more influential in optimizing consumption patterns than men.
“Making the most of women’s potential is a major goal of the agreement. Women’s role in managing consumption is not limited to households, and can be used in professional environments and the workplace,” he said.
Water crisis in the country has reached alarming proportions amid low tariffs, rising temperatures and critically low levels of rainfall.
At the National Conference on Water Economics in Tehran last week, Chitchian warned that unless water policies are overhauled and excessive consumption and waste checked, Iranian civilization would be at risk.
“In order to sustain life and our civilization, we (all relevant bodies) have to come together and offer a (workable) solution. Consumption patterns must change,” he reiterated.
“We are unanimously of the belief that women play a more effective role in regulating consumption in society, and will be successful in doing so,” Chitchian underlined. Responsible consumption and production is also one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (2016-2030).
According to the UN, less than 3% of the world’s water is fresh (potable), of which 2.5% is frozen in the Antarctica, Arctic and glaciers. Humanity must therefore rely on 0.5% for all of man’s ecosystems and fresh water needs.
