IFP - Iran�s Vice-President for Women and Family Affairs says the hundreds of governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the fields of women rights are �national assets� of the country.�



In an address to a Saturday ceremony in the Centre for Peace and Environment in Tehran, Massoumeh Ebtekar said there are lots of such organizations in Iran which should be viewed as national assets.

�Currently in the field of women and family affairs, we have over 2,700 NGOs and in the environment field, there are about 900 active governmental and non-governmental organizations,� she was quoted as saying in a Farsi report by the Vice-Presidency�s official website.

Ebtekar said these organizations play a key role in the development of Iran.

During the ceremony, she also presented the prestigious Dr. Taqi Ebtekar Award to a number of activists and scientists active in the field of environment.

The Centre for Peace and Security is a non-governmental organization active in the field of environment. The organization was established in 2005 by Dr. Taqi Ebtekar, a former advisor to ex-president Mohammad Khatami.

Each year, the centre rewards scientists and environmentalists for their efforts and initiatives to preserve the environment in Iran.