Tehran – 17 June 2026
The Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Dr. Asad M. Khan, participated today in the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought ceremony at Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA). The venue underlined the message that the fight against land degradation can and must begin at our own doorsteps.
In his address, the Secretary General noted that just weeks earlier, at the 6th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Environment in Samarkand, ECO Member States adopted the ECO Cooperation Framework on Environment and the Samarkand Declaration on Regional Environmental Cooperation, charting a path for land restoration and climate resilience. He further noted that in April, the ECO High-Level Dialogue Platform on Environmental Cooperation confirmed air quality and sand and dust storms as the central regional environmental priority.
A central moment of the ceremony was the acknowledgement of activists combating desertification, land degradation and drought. The Secretary General personally offered his deep appreciation, stating: “You are the hands that plant hope, the voices that awaken communities, and the conscience that holds us all accountable. Your efforts are not just local acts of restoration; they are contributions to regional and global security.”
The event also witnessed the official launch of the “IKA Green Belt Extension Project,” a strategic investment that will reduce dust, cool the microclimate, and serve as a model for the region. The Secretary-General reaffirmed ECO’s unwavering commitment to supporting regional cooperation that turns shared environmental vulnerabilities into joint, lasting solutions.
The ceremony was also attended by the Head of the Natural Resources and Watersheds Management Organization, and the Resident Representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
