President Makes Historic Appearance at COP-17 in Armenia

Iran's high-ranking delegation is fully prepared to attend the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Armenia, the deputy for natural environment and biodiversity at the Department of Environment announced.

The Vice President of Natural Environment and Biodiversity of the Environmental Protection Organization announced the full readiness of the high-ranking delegation of Iran to participate in the 17th meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-17) in Armenia.

According to the report of Ambassador Arjan, quoted by the Environmental Protection Organization, Hamid Zohrabi, the Deputy Director of Natural Environment and Biodiversity of the Environmental Protection Organization, announced the full readiness of the high-ranking delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran to participate in the 17th Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-17) in Armenia.

Referring to the irreplaceable importance of this event, he stated that it is the first time that the visit of the country's highest executive official at this level is carried out at the meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The presence of the president, Masoud Mezikian, shows the importance and high status of biodiversity and its protection in the eyes of the government and placing it at the top of the country's priorities.

Emphasizing the governance position of the Environmental Protection Organization, Zohrabi added: The Environmental Protection Organization, as the main custodian of the country's biodiversity conservation, specifically follows the jurisdictional issues of the Convention on Biological Diversity in order to create a significant change in this authority through strategic planning and strengthen Iran's position in the international forums.

The Deputy Director of Natural Environment and Biodiversity of the organization pointed to the management achievements of the government in this area and said: In this government, for the first time, the national biodiversity action plan of the country has been prepared with the comprehensive participation of executive bodies, universities, scientific authorities and non-governmental organizations. Also, the third strategy document and national action plan in line with Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, for the management of biodiversity and the reference regulations of the Convention on Biological Diversity have been compiled, which creates a rare coherence in the macro-environmental management of the country.

Regarding the preparations before the trip, he noted: Before this trip, in the joint meeting of the representatives of the member bodies of the Convention on Biological Diversity and academic authorities, the documents to be presented at the COP-17 have been reviewed and provided to the team present at this meeting. In addition to the presence of the honorable president and the high official of the Environmental Protection Organization in the summit meeting, on different days of the summit appropriate to specialized issues, the plenipotentiary representatives of the member institutions of the Biodiversity Authority Management Council and academic elites are present, which reflects the country's determination to pursue environmental demands at the international level.