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On Sunday 21st Feb 2021, JICA Iran office in cooperation with JICA Obihiro Center hosted its Online Exchange Event named "Go to Wetland" the event which organized for celebrating Kushiro Wetland for its 40th anniversary of adoption of Ramsar Convention. As part of the program, Japanese and Iranian children who are living in the wetlands area had an online live exchange. Also, the congratulatory message to Kushiro City were broadcasted by the members of JICA Alumni association in Iran who have visited Kushiro Wetland during their JICA training in Japan.

This event successfully developed friendship between the two nations on the theme of the wetland!

The video message to Kushiro Wetland from JICA Alumni Association in Iran (YouTube, external link)

History of the friendship between Kushiro and Anzali wetland

The Ramsar Convention was adopted in 1971 as the first international treaty at preserving wetland ecosystems. Since then, more than 2,414 wetlands in 171 countries around the world have been registered as an important wetland. However, it is not a well-known fact that the "Ramsar" the city of Iran was the origin of the treaty. In Iran, there are many wetlands that are habitats for migratory birds, as well as the source of a diverse ecosystem. However, in recent years, the environment has deteriorated due to artificial development, sewage drainages, and crisis such as erosion and the disappearance of biodiversity have been regarded as major problems.

JICA has been conducting technical cooperation projects for the purpose of environmental conservation of the Anzali wetland in the northern part of Iran more than 17 years. As part of the training, many relevant officials from Iran visited Kushiro wetland which has almost the same scale as the Anzali wetland. It has been good model for Iran on its mechanism of environmental conservation, environmental education, ecotourism, cooperation between local residents and the local government. This kind of exchanges such as JICA project and trainings develop the relationship between two wetlands and it has been modestly continued at the grassroots level for a long time.

Courtesy call to the mayor of Kushiro by Iranian training participants

JICA training in Kushiro for the Iranian participants

JICA training in Kushiro for the Iranian participants

May the friendship between Japan and Iran develop through the love of the nature!

In this exchange event, in addition to the local residences, children aged 6 to 12 were also participated. Iranian children are particularly excited to be able to interact with Japanese children and asked a lot of questions such as "What do you do in the wetland?", "What kind of animals live in your wetland?" and so on. At the session of the environmental group for wetland conservation, they seriously talked about how littering of garbage is managed, and environmental conservation efforts at the citizen level.

Although it was a brief communication time, it was an invaluable for the both citizens and children to get to know each other's countries and reaffirm the importance of the wetland around them. We wish that this friendly relationship and environmental awareness continue and develop to the future!

Although many obstruction like network connection etc, the online event implemented successfully

Iranian Children who drew the pictures about their neighbor wetland

Iranian Children who drew the pictures about their neighbor wetland

Iranian Children who drew the pictures about their neighbor wetland