Business and Industry, Marine and Coastal Areas, Poverty, Urban Environment
Summary of Achievements:
Dr. Massoumeh Ebtekar was Iran's first woman Vice-President since the Islamic Revolution.
Her philosophy that sustainable development depends on maintaining the balance between economic growth and environmental concerns is one that the United Nations shares.
As environment minister, she led efforts to tackle air-pollution problems in Tehran and to promote the protection of marine life in the Gulf. She has influenced the integration of environmental considerations into the industry and energy sectors in Iran and, thanks to her efforts, clean production technologies and environmental accounting and management systems have been integrated into the country’s petrochemical industry.
Another of her priorities is to deal with environmental damage caused by the 1991 Gulf War. Under her guidance, the Department of Environment worked with the government and the private sector to create necessary incentives and economic mechanisms for enhancing environmental awareness and management capacity.
Born in 1960 in Tehran, Dr. Ebtekar went to school in the United States. She completed her studies in Iran, gaining a doctorate in immunology. She became editor of the English-language newspaper Kayhan International in 1981. She was appointed Vice-President of Iran in 1997.
