Amir Saeed Iravani made the remarks at the 18th session of the UN Forum on Forest in New York on May 8, 2023.
The statement of the Iranian ambassador to the UN reads as follows:
Forests have the potential to help address the world’s economic, social, and environmental crises. Indeed, their ability to undertake major global challenges have been recognized in internationally agreed-upon documents. We can achieve the Global Forest Goals by making concrete steps to increase our cooperation on forests at all levels.
Our forests face various challenges and threats. Among them, are sand and dust storms which have a range of harmful impacts on forests. These include damaging leaves and branches, affecting forest habitats, reducing air quality, increasing the risk of forest fires, significant soil erosion, and reducing the availability of food and shelter for wildlife.
To address this pressing challenge, the Islamic Republic of Iran will host an International Conference on Combatting Sand and Dust Storms, with the cooperation of UN agencies, in September 2023.
Low forest cover countries face significant challenges in sustainable forest management, including limited resources, deforestation, climate change, and limited access to markets and finance. Addressing these challenges will require significant investment and commitment at both the national and international scales.
International cooperation and the United Nations can play an important role in supporting low forest cover countries by providing technical and financial assistance, as well as promoting sustainable forest management practices.
One of Iran’s environmental priorities is sustainable forest management. In this light, we have made progress in the direction of sustainable forest management. Allow me to mention a few:
Iran has established several protected areas for forest conservation and biodiversity, has implemented community forestry programs to promote the participation of local communities in forest management, and has launched several large-scale reforestation programs to increase forest cover and combat desertification. For instance, the "National Tree Planting Day" campaign has aimed to combat deforestation and desertification as well as increase public awareness about the importance of preserving the environment and natural resources through planting millions of trees across the country. Iran has also developed a National Forest Program which outlines the country's strategy for sustainable forest management.
I wish to conclude by expressing our sincere hope that, with a spirit of multilateralism, cooperation, and solidarity, we can achieve our global forest goals. In this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to cooperate alongside other countries at both the regional and global levels.
AMK/PR