Tehran, IRNA – Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed the country’s commitment to biodiversity conservation, urging the international community to ensure that countries facing sanctions or military aggression do not bear the environmental costs alone.
Speaking Friday at the Leaders’ Summit of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held at COP 17 in Yerevan, Armenia, Pezeshkian condemned the devastating impact of wars of aggression on nature, calling it “ecocide”, and called on the international community to establish effective, transparent and applicable mechanisms to protect natural heritage and biodiversity in times of war.
He said that the war is not just killing people and destroying economic infrastructure, but also burning forests, damaging wetlands, contaminating soils, threatening water resources and destroying wildlife habitats. He warned that such damage may persist for years, even generations, after the end of hostilities.
The President stressed that the environmental consequences of the aggression war waged by the American and Israeli regimes in the region, particularly in Iran, highlight the need for greater international attention to the environmental impacts of armed conflict. Damage to industrial and energy facilities, water and soil pollution, and threats to ecosystems and biodiversity conservation infrastructure all contribute to these concerns, he added.
Pezeshkian said these consequences are not limited to countries or their political borders, stressing that nature ignores borders and that pollution of water, soil and air does not stop at national borders. Therefore, the environmental damage caused by war is a global problem that requires international solutions, he added.
He called on the international community to establish effective, transparent and enforceable mechanisms to protect natural heritage and biodiversity, stressing that nature should not be treated as a “silent and defenceless victim” of war.
The President also said that countries subject to economic sanctions or exposed to military aggression should not have to bear the environmental costs of sanctions or wars that they have not triggered alone.
He urged international organizations to strengthen funding mechanisms, environmental damage assessments, ecosystem restoration efforts and support to affected countries to address the environmental consequences of armed conflict.
Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran’s willingness to share its scientific expertise, academic capabilities and experience with other countries, describing biodiversity conservation as an important path for “peace diplomacy”.
He stressed that the region faces multiple challenges, including security crises related to the illegal and expansionist presence of certain powers, climate change, water scarcity and ecosystem degradation. Environmental cooperation, he said, could help strengthen ties between nations and pave the way for peace and security for all, peace with nature and a future in harmony with the natural world.
The Leaders’ Summit, held in Yerevan this Friday, brings together Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, world-renowned scientists, eminent cultural personalities, representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as other key actors. Under the slogan “Leaders for Nature”, this summit is the political anchor of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17).
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