A delegation of the Iraqi Society for Engineering Management and the Noor Al-Ofuq Company, represented by Dr. Ali Adham, and the Vice President of the Association Dr. Alya Al-Barrak, the Secretary, Teacher Nibal Khalil, the Environmental Research Center, and the meeting was held with the Director of the Center, Prof. Dr. Abdulhamid Mohammed Jawad Al-Obaidi, and a section of the teaching staff at the center.
During the meeting, many topics of mutual interest were discussed, including the establishment of joint cooperation for various activities, foremost of which is the conference, as these two bodies are among the participating and supportive parties for the Fifth International Scientific Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development, which is being held by the Environmental Research Center for the period from 11-13 March 2021 in Istanbul. Turkey.

This came in implementation of government directives to open the horizons of cooperation and support necessary for non-governmental organizations after reviewing the book issued by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers / Non-Governmental Organizations Department, which was referred to the center by the office of the Assistant President of the University for Scientific Affairs and Graduate Studies, according to the numbered book (QA / 52 on 11/9/2020) in the framework of coordination, strengthening cooperation with non-governmental organizations and openness to them to confront the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Tuesday 12 Jan. 2021

Under the patronage of the President of the University of Technology, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Hassan Al-Ghabban, and under the direct supervision of the Director of the Environment Research Center, the esteemed Prof. Dr. Abdel-Hamid M. Jawad Al-Obaidi, the Araqah Foundation for Culture and Development has been established under the management of the respected Dr. Alaa Abdul Khaliq, on Tuesday 12/1/2021, a voluntary campaign that included planting a thousand trees and seedlings for multiple types of trees and rose seedlings in the gardens and spaces of the university to increase the green space in it and to complete the initiative to plant (one million trees) sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research In addition to preparing the University of Technology to enter the global GreenMetric classification. The esteemed president of the university, the esteemed director of the environment research center, the esteemed director of the institution, and a number of volunteers from inside and outside the University of Technology participated in planting trees and seedlings.

spaces an area reserved for some particular purpose More (Definitions, Synonyms, Translation)

Monday 11 Jan. 2021

The Supreme Committee supervises the conference met in the presence of the President of the University, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Hassan Al-Ghabban, and the Organizing Committee headed by Prof. Dr. Abdul Hameed Al-Obaidi and the respected heads of the Scientific committees headed by Prof. Dr. Shaker Ahmed Saleh and in the presence of members of these committees from different universities, departments and governors On Monday, 11/1/2021 at the Environment Research Center / University of Technology while adhering to the directives of the Crisis Cell in maintaining social distancing and wearing masks. Preparations for the Fifth International Scientific Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development 5ISCESD 2021 were discussed at its scheduled date on March 11-13. 2021 in Istanbul-Turkey. Important points were discussed that ensure the proper functioning of the work and remove obstacles for participants in general and graduate students in particular, and the meeting resulted in a set of directives and recommendations for the success of this scientific edifice.

set decide upon or fix definitely More (Definitions, Synonyms, Translation)

On behalf of the president of University of Technology-UOT (Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Gaban) and the direct supervision by Prof. Dr. Abdullhamed Al-Obaidy who is the director of Environment Research Center (ERC)-UOT

The ERC held in cooperation with the Nutrition Research Institute-Public Health Directorate-Ministry of Health and Environment a scientific symposium online using the ZOOM platform entitled (Addressing the Challenges of Hidden Hunger) on 22/9/2020 at 9.00 p.m. This symposium was electronically managed by Dr. Mukheled A. Hussien (head of scientific activity committee at ERC) as a coordinator with the assistance of Mrs. Zahraa Z. Farhan (lecturer at ERC).

The first lecturer, Dr. Mohammed Jasim Ahmed (FICMS/CM, Nutrition Research Institute) gave a lecture within the first part of this symposium under the title “Health Food Strategy in Iraq”. The lecturer showed the importance of the plan "National Nutrition Strategy" prepared by the Ministry of Health and Environment in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund from 2012 to 2021. This plan aimed to develop a sound basis in terms of planning, organizing and managing the public sectors related to nutrition, ensuring the improvement of health and nutritional status of the Iraqi individual. The lecturer discussed the nutritional indicators in almost Iraqi governorates and addressed malnutrition diseases for children under the age of 5 years in conjunction of disease of Anemia (deficiency in the iron element), vitamins and others. For dealing with these cases, a practical program was adopted in fortifying basic foodstuffs such as wheat flour using premix to increase the proportion of iron and salt iodization. In addition, many programs have been adopted to support food for school students and spread health awareness in these schools in particular and society in general. The lecturer recommended the necessity of scientific and research cooperation between academic institutions such as universities and research centers and the directories of Ministry of Health and Environment in order to develop methods of fortifying food with the necessary elements to prevent the occurrence of diseases harmful to public health.

While the second lecturer Assist. Prof. Basim H. Faraj (lecturer in the Department of Sustainable Development-ERC) gave a lecture within the second part under the title "Biofortification for Sustainable Diet". The lecturer stated that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has defined a sustainable food system as a system that provides healthy food containing micro-elements (micronutrients) of vitamins and minerals (which are essential components of a high-quality diet) to meet current nutritional needs in conjunction with keeping healthy ecosystems that can provide food for the next generations at the minimal negative impact on the environment. These micronutrients are the essential components that can directly affect human health where their lack at the minimum level can cause what is called “Hidden Hunger”. For example, zinc element plays a vital role in participating in a wide range of biological activities of cells, and thus its decrease negatively affects the performance of these cells. To achieve a sustainable food strategy, the biofortification plays a fundamental role in enriching economic plants with micro-nutrients or vitamins that are unable to produce them at all or produce them in limited quantities. In order to alleviate hidden hunger, the traditional method of enriching crops with micro-elements such as foliage spraying or through soil additions or added with irrigation water. However, some strategic crops for physiological or anatomical reasons and others cannot absorb micronutrients and then they transfer them in the plant, so it is possible to apply a method in terms of genetic foundations without changing the genetic material such as selection and hybrid. Also, in some cases, these methods do not work because they require to transfer genes related to the absorption of elements or the manufacture of some biological compounds between individuals who are genetically distant organisms, and thus genetic engineering technology can be used.

The lecturer recommended at the end of his lecture that it is necessary to determine the needs of the Iraqi individual based on surveys by the Ministry of Health and Environment and then going towards research programs for the treatment in terms of the adoption of a national program. This program can be participated by the relevant specialized sectors in cooperation with the Nutrition Research Institute.

Finally, the participants were allowed to discuss, express opinions and dialogue with the lecturers, which finally led to establish a set of recommendations. These recommendations will be actively considered and announced later.

In conclusion, the Director of ERC expressed his sincere gratitude to both lecturers and all participants for attending in this symposium