On the sidelines of the 9th high-level committee meeting on environment and sustainable development for ESCAP members, Her Excellency Shina Ansari, Vice President and Head of the Department of Environment, along with His Excellency Nassereddin Heidari, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Thailand and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, met and held talks with Her Excellency Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP. During this meeting, the Vice President and Head of the Department of Environment, emphasizing the destructive impacts of war, unilateral sanctions, and climate change on the environment, called for the strengthening of international cooperation, the removal of restrictions caused by sanctions, and an effective role for the United Nations in establishing peace and stability, particularly in the West Asia region. Pointing to the country's most critical environmental challenges, including climate change and sand and dust storms as transboundary crises, she added: "The environment is not confined to political borders, and the effects of many crises impact the countries of the region simultaneously." Madam Ansari also referred to the cowardly imposed aggressions and the attacks carried out on petrochemical industries and oil refineries, stated that: "These actions caused water, soil, and air pollution, and their consequences were not solely limited to Iran, but also affected parts of the region at large." During the meeting, Madam Alisjahbana expressed her appreciation for the Islamic Republic of Iran's role in leading programs related to sand and dust storms in the region. Referring to the tragic events resulting from military aggression against Iran, she expressed hope that with the establishment of peace and stability in the region and the continuation of the Islamic Republic of Iran's effective role, positive programs regarding natural disasters, sand and dust storms, and land subsidence will be implemented in the near future in cooperation with Iran. She further stated that just as positive and constructive relations have been maintained thus far through APDIM, these collaborations will continue and be further strengthened in the future.