UNCCD Executive Secretary Expresses Sympathy with Iran Following Attack on Natural Resources Organization

Ms. Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, stated in response to a letter from Dr. Reza Aflatouni, Vice Minister of Agriculture Jihad and Head of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization of Iran, that she had carefully reviewed the issue of the damages inflicted on the Organization.

In her letter, the UNCCD Executive Secretary referred to the attack carried out on Farvardin 8 of the current Iranian calendar year, corresponding to March 28, 2026, against the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization of Iran, which led to the martyrdom of a number of the Organization’s experts. She extended her sincere condolences to the families of the martyrs, their colleagues and the entire natural resources community of Iran.

She also expressed regret over the impacts and consequences of this incident on the country’s national and institutional capacities, including in areas related to achieving the objectives of combating desertification, land degradation and drought.

The letter further states that the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification values the continuous and important contribution of the Islamic Republic of Iran to advancing the objectives of the Convention and implementing programmes to combat desertification, land degradation and drought at national, regional and global levels.

Ms. Yasmine Fouad also emphasized that the UNCCD Secretariat, within the framework of its mandate, stands ready to continue supporting member states in strengthening environmental resilience and sustaining the necessary actions toward achieving the agreed objectives of the Convention.

It is worth noting that following the Farvardin 8 attack by American-Zionist enemies against the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization of Iran, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of the Organization’s staff, the matter and the damages caused were officially communicated by the Head of the Organization to relevant international organizations and institutions. In these official correspondences, the dimensions of the incident were explained and the attack was condemned.