In the meeting in Tehran this afternoon, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Shamshad Akhtar discussed the ways to enhance regional cooperation and which roles the emerging powers can play in bringing prosperity to the region.
The two sides also expressed their concern over the weakening of multilateralism, the destruction of international and regional institutions and arrangements, emerging challenges, and stressed the need for initiatives by the United Nations institutions such as UNESCAP to handle and prevent more problems in the ancient continent.
Furthermore, Zarif and Akhtar talked about the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran for UNESCAP programs in pursuit of development goals and the establishment of the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM) office in Tehran as one of the sub-groups of the UNESCAP.
The Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Iranian foreign minister also discussed environmental issues including the phenomenon of dust storms in the west of Asia and necessary measures to prevent and bring such challenges under control within the framework of the protection of the environment and confrontation with natural disasters.
UN Secretary-General, Shamshad Akhtar, has traveled to Iran to attend the second session of the Asia-Pacific Center for Disaster Information Management (APDIM).
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in its resolution 71/11 decided to establish the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM) as a regional institution of the Commission. Elected members of the Governing Council for the period 2016-2019 comprise, along with the host country the Islamic Republic of Iran, Bangladesh; Cambodia; Macao, China; Nepal; Pakistan; the Philippines; Sri Lanka and Turkey. The Governing Council of APDIM held its second session in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran, on January 31, 2018.
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