Iran, China join hands in water management, agriculture, environment
Iran and China signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday in the fields of water resource management, agriculture, and environmental protection.
A trilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization (PBO), the University of Tehran, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The tripartite MoU, involving Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization, the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Tehran, and the Northwest Institute of Resources and Environment (affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences), was formally signed during a ceremony hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The agreement focuses on collaboration in water resource management, agriculture, and environmental protection, encompassing joint project implementation, experience exchange, new technologies, and pilot initiatives in Iran, with the primary goal being to accelerate actionable steps and leverage the scientific and practical capacities of both parties.
During the signing ceremony, Mohammad Ebrahimnia, the head of water, agriculture, and environmental affairs at Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization, referenced past experiences and urged the swift definition of pilot criteria and the joint implementation of an “action plan” in Iran.
Ebrahimnia noted that while numerous MoUs have been signed between Iran and China across various fields, only a small fraction have reached implementation.
“The involvement of Iran’s Plan and Budget Organization — which is equivalent to China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) — could now provide a valuable opportunity to operationalize this agreement,” he said.
“Based on lessons from previous MoUs, we have conducted preliminary damage assessments to ensure rapid operationalization of knowledge, experience, and existing achievements through one or two specific pilot projects,” Ebrahimnia added.
He further proposed, “After signing the MoU, a short timeframe — no more than one to two months — should be allocated to define criteria and indicators for selecting pilot projects. Once the pilot locations in Iran are finalized, Chinese experts should be invited to Tehran to formally launch the agreement’s implementation under a joint action plan.”