Tehran, Dec 15, IRNA -- Vice-President and Head of the Department of Environment Ms Masoumeh Ebtekar said here on Sunday that if regional countries do not prevent the current trend of environment degradation, the region will witness severe and irreparable economic and social crises soon.

Addressing the inaugural session of the first Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Environment Ministers Conference, she said, currently, the criteria of sustainable development is in close relations with those of the economic, social and cultural development in different societies.

The ECO environment ministers are concerned about eruption of different regional crises in the near future, she said adding that they are making efforts to jointly perform programs in the areas of natural resources, forest conservation, as well as fight against water, soil and weather pollution.

She further announced that approval of transfer of environmental technology, scientific, technical and educational cooperation, establishment of financial fund and of ECO environmental college are among the provision of joint plan of action.

Ms Ebtekar underlined the need for close cooperation between the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the ECO.

Also addressing the session, Klaus Topfer, the UNEP Executive Director, stressed the importance of environment in sustainable development.

Underlining the need for establishment of closer cooperation among ECO members, he called for making use of the existing potentials in all ECO countries in order to ensure lasting development in the entire region.

Stressing the importance of cooperation between ECO members and different international organizations, Topfer proposed that a convention on the Caspian Sea environment be inked by the member states.

Meanwhile, the ECO Secretary General, Mojtaba Arastou, told the participants in the session that the outcome of the conference will benefit the entire globe.

The ECO has always made efforts to establish close relations with several international organizations in order to achieve its goals, he emphasized.

The first ECO Environment Ministers Conference was inaugurated here Sunday by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami who addressed the meeting.

A draft of a final statement on regional cooperation will be issued at the end of the meeting which is to be drawn up by senior experts during the first two days of discussions.

During the three-day meeting, ECO environment ministers and experts on human, natural and wild life species will discuss marine environmental issues, bio-diversity as well as promotion and training of regional states on legal structures to promote environmental concerns.

The meeting, sponsored and hosted by Iran, is aimed at tackling environmental issues facing ECO member states.

Representatives and environment ministers from Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan are attending this first-ever conference.

ECO environment ministers held their preliminary session here Saturday.