Abstract of the project
Environmental degradation is a major problem in Iran. The country faces major challenges including water scarcity, air pollution, poor waste management and pressure on marine ecosystems. The challenges facing Iran also derive from a combination of growing effects of climate change and the not always optimal management of the environment. The resulting impacts negatively influence the country's socio-economic development potential and hence the need to improve the effectiveness of environmental management.
With this in mind, the European Union and Iran have decided to embark on a cooperation path that has already started in 2016, as part of a Special Measure to Support Sustainable Development.
Specifically, the project aims to improve the quality and implementation of existing sustainable management policies in Iran for the following environmental sectors: (1) water, (2) air, (3) waste and (4) marine environment.
Experts from eight European institutions together with Iranian experts from the Ministry of Energy, the Department of the Environment and other relevant organizations will review environmental legislation, setting up technical procedures and standards.
Aspects relating to climate change will instead be considered in the context of sectoral policies. In two pilot regions, stakeholder-oriented processes will also be strengthened both for the implementation of integrated water management and for the management of air quality and solid waste.
• Strengthening the integrated and stakeholder-oriented management of surface and underground water resources;
• Improvement of air quality standards and air quality assessment in metropolitan regions.
• Improvement of solid waste management approaches.
• Strengthening of marine environment monitoring capacities.
Alongside the improvement of environmental policies in specific areas of the program, the broader ambition is to offer examples / approaches, which can be used for subsequent extension and translation into other fields relevant to Iranian environmental policy.
To this end, the experiences of the trials planned in the pilot regions will support the Iranian partners in the review of national policies and, through them, the results will be made available throughout the country.
Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, CNR-IIA, ITALY
Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, ITALY
Environment Agency Austria UBA, AUSTRIA
Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE, FINLAND
Finnish Meteorological Institute, IMF, FINLAND
Maltese Ministry for Energy and Water Management EWA, MALTA
Office International de l'Eau, OIEau, FRANCE.
Catia Balducci
Alessandra Tino
Ettore Guerriero
Francesca Vichi
Simon Berti
Tiziana Davanzo
Monica Palozzo