Visit of the delegation from Iran and Isfahan Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture to Pakistan
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On the invitation of ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF), a delegation from Iran and Isfahan Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture visited Islamabad from 2-5 February 2023. The delegation headed by Mr. Mohammad Sadeghi, Member of Board of ICCIMA and Director of Isfahan Agriculture and Water Strategic Research Center (IAWSRC), Director of the Economic Research Department of Isfahan Chamber of Commerceand Head of Agriculture Department, National Agriculture and Water Strategic Research Center, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA). The delegation included Director of the Economic Research Department of Isfahan Chamber of Commerce and Head of Agriculture Department, National Agriculture and Water Strategic Research Center, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA). Following are the details of the visits, meetings held at Islamabad.
Visit to ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF) Islamabad
In the morning of 2nd February 2023, the Iranian delegation visited ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF). The delegation was cordially welcomed by the President ECOSF Prof. Dr. Seyed Komail Tayebi. Prof. Tayebi briefly introduced ECOSF and its aims, objectives, programmes, activities and collaboration national, regional and international organizations.
The head of delegation Mr. Sadeghi thanked President ECOSF for the invitation to visit Pakistan and hoped that the visit would be fruitful to explore the areas of collaborations in Pakistan.
Visit to Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) Islamabad
The Iranian delegation also visited Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) on 2nd February 2023. The delegation was received by the Vice Chancellor (VC) of PIDE Dr. Nadeem ul Haq. The VC made an introduction of PIDE and told that PIDE is a post-graduate research institute and a public policy think tank located in the vicinity of Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan. It was founded in 1957 by the Government of Pakistan but it has its own board of overseers. He further shared that how PIDE is helping Pakistan to undertake various studies to understand and tackle the economy of Pakistan.
Prof. Komail Tayebi thanked the Rector and introduced himself, ECOSF and the delegation. Being an economist, Prof. Tayebi and the delegation showed keen interest in the studies conducted by the PIDE.
The Iranian delegation also briefly shared the activities of both the Chambers. They said there is a lot of room available for undertaking research activities not only in Pakistan and Iran but also in other countries of ECO region.
Visit to Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Headquarters
In the afternoon of 2nd February 2023, the Iranian delegation visited Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Headquarters, Islamabad. Prof. Dr. Seyed Komail Tayebi, President, ECOSF along with Mr. Ghulam Abbas Rahar, Assistant Director, ECOSF accompanied the delegation. The purpose of the visit was to explore the possibility of cooperation in the future projects.
Dr. Muhammad Ashraf, Chairman, PCRWR welcomed the distinguished guests and said that PCRWR was established in 1964 and is working as a body corporate vide PCRWR Act 2007 under Ministry of Water Resources. PCRWR is mandated to conduct, organize, coordinate and promote research on all aspects of water, specifically irrigation, drainage, surface & groundwater management, groundwater recharge, watershed management, rainwater harvesting, desertification control, water quality and overall environment. Therefore, the organization promotes partnerships with national and international research to deal with the emerging issues and future challenges in water sector especially under climate change scenario. Since its inception, PCRWR has played its role, as a leading water sector R&D organization through a well-established state of the art research and dissemination infrastructure, having its Headquarter in Islamabad along with eight Regional Research Centers located at various parts of Pakistan.
Dr. Ashraf also presented a detailed overview of R&D activities and initiatives taken up by the Council to combat the water issues of Pakistan. The chairman briefly discussed about the possible areas of collaboration like water productivity enhancement, rehabilitation of Karez system etc. The delegation took a keen interest in PCRWR initiatives to combat water scarcity issues in the country. The details of activities carried out by the ICCIMA were shown through a documentary during the meeting.
President ECOSF Prof. Komail Tayebi introduced the Iranian delegation and thanked the Chairman PCRWR Dr. Muhammad Ashraf for warmly welcoming the delegation at PCRWR. Prof. Tayebi also mentioned the long term collaboration between ECOSF and PCRWR in various fields specifically water in focus.
Mr. Sadeghi thanked the Chairman PCRWR for the comprehensive and informative presentation about PCRWR. She also briefly introduced the Iran and Isfahan Chamber and Iran Chamber and their field of activities with focus on agriculture and water.
He stressed the need for collaborative projects between the two countries and also emphasized extending cooperation for the sustainability of the agriculture and water sector in both neighboring countries.
The meeting ended with vote of thanks and commitment to develop collaboration under the auspices of ECOSF.