Tehran Hosts High-Level UN–Iran Panel on Safeguarding the Zagros Forests
10 June 2025
Tehran, 10 June 2025 — A one-day conference titled “International Cooperation, Lessons Learned and Best Practices in Sustainable Management of the Zagros Forests” was held at Tehran’s Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS), bringing together more than 150 officials from national organizations, United Nations entities, civil society and academia and diplomatic missions.
The event, co-hosted by the Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Natural Resources & Watershed Management Organization, the Plan and Budget Organization and the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, is the last of seven thematic panels feeding recommendations to the International Conference on Sustainable Zagros Forest Management on 29 June 2025.
In his keynote address, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Dr. Kazem Gharibabadi described the Zagros as “a priceless heritage for Iran and the world” and called sustainable forest management “an essential tool to fight climate change, safeguard water resources and ensure prosperity for future generations.” Dr. Gharibabadi added that “the future of the Zagros will profoundly shape the future of our planet. Let us work together for a better planet.” Deputy Foreign Minister Ghariabadi underlined the need for the transfer of technology and financing from developed countries.
UN Resident Coordinator in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Stefan Priesner, also highlighted the forests’ role as the hydrological backbone of western Iran and called for “environmental financing to become a priority for all stakeholders,” adding that Bakhtiari nomads and other local communities “must be at the centre of conservation efforts. These oak mountains are not just scenic—they are foundational to Iran’s history, culture and future. Protecting them is a shared responsibility.” said the Resident Coordinator. “Without urgent action, we risk losing not only the Zagros forests but the life systems they support.”
Covering almost 6 million hectares—about 40 percent of Iran’s total forest area—the Zagros oak woodlands regulate water, prevent soil erosion and support millions of rural livelihoods, yet have shrunk by nearly half in 80 years because of illegal logging, overgrazing and climate change.
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