Prof. Dr. SHR SADEGHI, the deputy president of our association, as the representative of WASWAC, attended the first meeting of the Governing Board of International Center for the Integrated Management of Watershed and Bio-Resource in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions (ICIMWB) that affiliated to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and was elected as a member of the Council of Governors of the center during the first meeting of the Governing Board of ICIMWB on April 24, 2024 in NRWMoI in Tehran, Iran.

The meeting was graced by the presence of key stakeholders, including the deputy minister and head of the NRWMoI, the deputy of Research, Education, and Extension of Agriculture of the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture, senior managers of the organization's headquarters, ambassadors, and representatives of member countries, and experts and managers of the provinces. This diverse group reviewed and approved the mid- and long-term programs and plans and the credits needed for ICIMWB in the current year. The meeting was finished by planting trees in the precinct of the NRWMoI.

The establishment of ICIMWB was approved in the 38th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2014, Paris. It was then established in NRWMoI as the second type of center of UNESCO in 2019 through exchanging an MOU between the Minister of Jihad Agriculture and the UNESCO Director-General to empower local communities and promote knowledge and technology. Also, according to the decisive approach of NRWMoI towards social and economic issues in watershed ecosystems, this center has emphasized the need to make inclusive, integrated, and complementary decisions with people's participation, and it is an essential element in the direction of sustainable management. It conserves the territory and leads to the empowerment and participation of local communities in the health of watersheds and the protection of natural resources.