 In the name of God, Mr. Chairperson, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to take the opportunity to render my sincere thanks to the Secretariat of Committee of Forestry of FAO for excellent arrangements made to organize this meeting, especially Dr. Q. Dang Yu, Director General Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, and Dr. Shin Wansap, Chairperson of the 25th session of the Committee of Forestry and which are success for your deliberations in attending the Goals of Sustainable Forest Management. Mr. Chairperson, distinguished delegates, forest provide many ecosystem goods and services and play a vital role in human lives worldwide. Health and food security of a major part of population are directly and indirectly depend on forest all around the world. At the moment, employment and subsidence of 25% of people around the world depend on forests and forests are home to 80% of species. The Islamic Republic of Iran as a member to the global community is committed to the implementation of environmental conventions and is taking all measures to conserve forests at national level in line with SFM. Based on the latest statistics, Iran is among countries that have achieved food security, serodevelopment, forestry, and expansion of forest cover. In this connection, the initiative of Islamic Republic of Iran to halt harvesting in the Herkanian forest is a unique and historical decision based on qualitative and quantitative evaluation of forest ecosystem in the Herkanian region that prohibits industrial logging from forests in line with strengthening the life-giving ecological goods and services of forests in terms of water supply, soil conservation, health, well-being. Recreation functions and their role in busting sustainable development indexes. Based on latest statistics as the result of implementation of logging ban initiative, all classical log-based forestry operations in an area of 1 million hectare have been terminated that would be replaced by forest rehabilitation and conservation plans. The initiative can be replicated as a model in interested countries by international specialist agencies. The strategy of FRWO in the next two decades is to restore forest ecosystem with emphasis on human communities as an integral part of these ecosystems. This is carried out through policy reform, revision of laws and regulations, in enhancing conservation and prevention of land use change in natural forest, diversification of financial resources, and development of renewable energies, applications for firewood. The main achievement of Islamic Republic of Iran in the recent decade can be summarized as development of plantations and main-made forests with indigenous and multipurpose forest species seroparticipatory mechanism, expansion of wood agronomy with fast-growing species tolerant to salinity and aridity aimed to provide part of wood requirements at home. And development of urban and peri-urban forestry aimed at minimizing air pollution and increasing forest per capita for citizens. Mr. Chair Persson distinguished delegates, despite all efforts and progress made by the global community to control deforestation and forest degradation, the terrestrial ecosystems are still at risk. UN predicts that by 2050, we will need an extra 593 million hectares of agricultural land to produce enough food for the world population. One of the grave consequences of this phenomenon is the exacerbation of land degradation, dust and sand storms, and depletion of underground water resources. Therefore, it is imperative that the ecosystem management as part of the solution undergo a paradigm shift with emphasis on integrated management of land, water, and biological resources in upstream and downstream, conservation of biodiversity, improvement of unsustainable and fragile ecosystem, particularly forests and wetlands, and hotspots prone to wind and water eruptions, diversification of rural economics, and livelihoods added value change of raw materials, and creation of green jobs, and eventually press for smart agriculture and sustainable land and water models that integrate modern technology with traditional knowledge through participatory mechanisms. Mr. Chairperson distinguished delegates. Nowadays, desertification is threatening the security of our cities all around the world, mainly as the result of human interventions and climate change. This further emphases the role of adaptation major in forestry and forest management. Land degradation and cyclic drought in the region have exacerbated trans-boundary sand and dust storms, occurrence that are affecting cities and even forest ecosystem in west part of Iran. The occurrence of dust storm in the recent decade has encouraged us in terms of incidents and distribution in such a way that even areas not being affected in the past are now experiencing several impacts. In this connection, I would like to thank FAO for taking a lead in addressing SDS in agriculture by developing an inter-regional TCP project aimed at SDS-controlled disaster risk reduction strategies in the agricultural sector and coordinated responses from works and climate smart agriculture are within the UN collision strategy and based on the requests of countries which are located on the Sokalt Easties risk belt. Nevertheless, the way out of this crisis rests in the adoption of a comprehensive, systematic, and targeted solution for the management and mitigation of sand and dust storm impacts through analysis and forecasting of natural and human induced changes in different geographical areas parallel to constant monitoring and assessment using early warning system and sharing information and enhanced cooperation among affected countries in Middle East and West Asia. Mr. Chairperson, ladies and gentlemen, finally, the Islamic Republic of Iran announces its readiness to collaborate with the global community in the field of natural resources management, especially sand and dust storm mitigation that is exerting heavy pressure on human, social, and economic assets in partnership with UN Specialist agencies, especially FAO and WellComes and any initiative in adopting a comprehensive strategy and roadmap to address the issue in line with SFM realizations. Thank you for your attention.