TEHRAN – Ali Salajeqeh, the chief of the Department of Environment, is taking part in the meeting of the ministers of environment and heads of delegations of the member states of the G-77 plus China, which is being held in Cuba from July 3-7.The G-77 (plus China) was established in 1964 as the largest inter-governmental organization of developing states in the United Nations.It provides the means for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within theUnited Nations system, and promote South-South cooperation for development.“Environmental diplomacy is the main priority for the country's political diplomacy, so holding the conference on combating sand and dust storms is important for us,” Salajeqeh said in April.One of the measures taken by the Iranian government toward the development of environmental diplomacy was the holding of a regional summit on combating sand and dust storms last year.The meeting was attended by ministers and representatives of regional countries and six international agencies, and its final statement was approved as the Tehran Declaration.Hossein Mousavifar, an official with the Department of Environment, told IRNA that the participating countries were obliged to create an environmental fund and organization in cooperation with each other.“In this regard, technical groups between countries have been formed.

This was one of the initiatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”Over the past year, the work on creating the environmental fund and regional organization has made good progress, and is almost at the final stage, the official noted.On November 17, 2015, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, announced the general policies on the environment, emphasizing the need for comprehensive, harmonious, and organized management of vital resources based on ecological capability and sustainability, particularly by increasing capacities and appropriate legal and structural capabilities accompanied by public participation.President Ebrahim Raisi has highlighted the importance of environmental protection, emphasizing that the preservation of the environment is prior to every development.Environmental protection will lead to power, security, investment, and production growth in the country, he said.MG