Tehran, February 14, 2024 (MRUD NEWS)—In recognition of Japan's cooperation with Iran in accomplishing the UN-Habitat projects, Iran Ministry of Roads and Urban Development formally appreciated Japan represented by Hiroki Nishi, the First Secretary of the Japan Embassy in Tehran.
The meeting was hosted by the Deputy minister of Human Resource Management and Development, secretary of National Habitat Committee (NHC) at Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, members of the UN-Habitat office in Tehran, and other representatives from affiliated organizations to the Ministry on February 13, 2024.
Japan cooperated actively with Iran in two projects for Improving the Resilience of Hospitals (BEHTAB I and II) against natural hazards in cooperation with the UN-Habitat.
In this meeting, Mohammad Ali Zohrei, Deputy of Human Resource Management and Development of the Ministry, emphasized on the strengthening and development of economic cooperation with other countries in the fields related to the missions of the Ministry and added: "we are interested in cooperation with Japan and we have gained good experiences from cooperation with Japan during in BEHTAB projects in the retrofitting hospitals".
Further, the secretary of National Habitat Committee (NHC) in Iran, Arman Khoorsand, said: "Hiroki Nishi 's tenure at the Japan Embassy brought good achievements for the National Habitat Committee. The most important project that was carried out in this period was the BEHTAB II project, which we managed to implement in cooperation with 'the Executive Organization for Public and Government Buildings and Infrastructures' for retrofitting hospitals".
The achievements of the BEHTAB II project led to the retrofitting of a Hospital in Sari and the generation of knowledge as well as a guideline that was compiled and will remain as the criterion for the construction of new hospitals, Khoorsand continued.
In the Khoy earthquake, Japan made important contributions, and Japan's financial support, along with the development and strengthening of cooperation between the two countries, will lay the groundwork for future collaboration, Khoorsand further explained.
In the end, Hiroki Nishi reminded that he entered Iran during the Corona pandemic and thanked the efforts of the two countries in strengthening joint cooperation.
In May 2023, the second phase of the BEHTAB II was formally kicked off for retrofitting Ayatollah Tabarsi Hospital in Sari funded by the Japanese Government.
Previously, BEHTAB I was successfully completed in Iran as the first phase of the project for improving resilience of hospitals which aimed to establish the foundations toward disaster preparedness and enhanced response capacity associated with natural hazards through retrofitting a public hospital in Iran as a pilot case.