GFFFN capacity development workshop held in Tehran
October 3, 2018
This week, the UNFF Secretariat organized a workshop to validate the project concept note on the role of sustainable forest management in mitigating and adapting to climate change in the Islamic Republic of Iran was held in Tehran from 30 September to 2 October 2018. The workshop was opened by Dr. Kamran Pourmoghaddam, Head of the High Council of the Forest, Rangelands and Watershed Management Organisation (FRWO) of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Khalil Aghaee, Deputy Minister and Head of FRWO; Mr. Rao Matta, FAO representative a.i. to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Mr. Hossein Moeini-Meybodi as the representative of DESA-UNFFS. It was attended by 38 participants from FRWO, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, of Agriculture, of Petroleum, of Health and of Industry, Mining and Trade, from the Department of the Environment, FAO and a national environment NGO.
The aim of the workshop was to compile comments from a wide range of national stakeholders on the draft concept note for its validation prior to submission to the Green Climate Fund. The proposed project sets forth an ambitious national voluntary carbon emissions compensation scheme whereby emissions released by the petroleum industry will be offset the restoration and sustainable management of the two main forest massifs of the country – the unique temperate Hyrcanian forests bordering the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean oak forests of the Zagros Mountains. During the workshop, FAO announced its official endorsement of the project idea by accepting the request of the Islamic Republic of Iran to act as an accredited entity for this proposal.