“Introducing the Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture of Iran”
The history of business associations in Iran dates back about 130 years. The Chamber of Commerce was established in 1926, and in 1949, with the passage of a law, the Private Sector Chamber of Iran was renamed the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines of Iran was established in 1969. In 1991, the title of agriculture was added to the name of the chamber, and thus, the Private Sector Chamber was renamed the “Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture of Iran.”
The most important legal duties of the Chamber of Commerce of Iran are:
cooperating with the executive bodies and providing advisory opinions to the three branches of government;
establishing coordination and cooperation between businessmen and owners of industries, mines and agriculture;
establishing contacts with chambers of commerce of other countries
; organizing domestic and foreign exhibitions;
trying to identify the market for Iranian export goods;
encouraging and encouraging domestic investment in production matters
; establishing and managing the Center for Economic Statistics and Information;
issuing membership cards and business cards for economic activists of the country;
organizing export and import unions and production and service syndicates;
holding practical courses in the fields of commerce, industry, mining and services;
forming joint chambers with friendly countries;
examining and arbitrating on domestic and foreign trade issues of members through the Chamber’s Arbitration Center;
confirming the validity of the certificate of origin, which guarantees the validity of the quality and specifications of exported goods.
To fulfill these duties, the Chamber’s legal organs are:
the Supreme Supervisory Council consisting of the Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, the Minister of Agricultural Jihad, the President of the National Standards Organization, and the President and two Vice Presidents of the Chamber of Commerce of Iran, which is chaired by the Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade.
The Iranian Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Representatives is comprised of elected members from 34 chambers across the country, and representatives of national unions and syndicates affiliated with the chamber are considered other important pillars of the Iranian Chamber.
The Board of Directors of the Iranian Chamber consists of seven people, and the Board of Directors of each of the county chambers consists of five people. The Board of Directors of the chambers are elected for a four-year term at the first meeting of the Board of Representatives.
In addition to the Iranian Chamber, the geographical scope of the chambers includes chambers of commerce, industries, mines, and agriculture across the country, which have similar duties and powers to the Iranian Chamber at the provincial level.
The most important strategies of the Iranian Chamber include:
Strengthening the position of the Iranian Chamber as a non-governmental, knowledge-based, and inclusive institution
Pursuing the collective, professional, and individual interests of its members with the aim of promoting their motivation for participation and increasing economic impact
Helping and encouraging various government bodies to improve the economic climate in order to develop the private sector and support entrepreneurship
Expanding the role of the chamber in developing the country’s bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation
Helping to manage the transformation of the Iranian economy in order to implement the law on the implementation of general policies of Article 44 of the Constitution
Encouraging economic activists to fulfill social responsibility and play a greater and more effective role in promoting a culture of professional ethics in improving the business climate
The strategic plan of the chambers of commerce, industries, mines, and agriculture across the country, whose legal bodies are determined based on elections and votes of members, is based on organizing four main axes:
Improving the legal status and share of the private sector with regard to preserving the national and international interests of the country
Developing, attracting, organizing and membership of non-governmental economic organizations in the chambers
Strengthening the advisory, scientific and practical capacity of the specialized commissions of the chambers
Quantitative and qualitative development of the chambers in common with other countries
Currently, 185 national organizations and 172 provincial organizations that are members of the chambers are operating in the fields of production, services, exports and imports and engineering services in the form of about fifteen thousand economic enterprises.
Objectives of the Chamber of Commerce
The Iranian Chamber of Commerce, relying on human resources and the knowledge and experience of experts and elites in the field of international trade and backed by the trust of the chamber members, seeks to propose proposals for amending and refining the laws governing the economic environment in order to improve the position of the private sector in the country’s economy through interaction with the three powers. In order to achieve this goal, the Iranian Chamber has, in the first step, focused all its efforts on strengthening the non-governmental sector of the economy through its effective and consistent presence in the decision-making process in 136 assemblies and councils for the implementation of executive laws and regulations related to Article 44 of the country’s constitution.
The Iranian Chamber of Commerce has also formed the Secretariat of Private Sector Chambers, in cooperation with the Chambers of Guilds and Cooperatives, which plays an important role in the convergence of the non-governmental economy and proposing appropriate solutions to overcome economic problems.
Another effective tool of the Iranian Chamber for pursuing the views and goals of the private sector is the Government-Private Sector Dialogue Council. This council, which includes representatives from the private sector and various government departments, helps government officials make better decisions by raising current economic issues from the private sector’s perspective. It can also amend the country’s economic laws with the help of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.
Since the beginning of 2011, the Iranian Chamber has been working to eliminate regulations that hinder economic activities by establishing a secretariat under Article 76 of the Fifth Development Plan Law. Accordingly, it identifies laws, regulations, and circulars that are obstacles to the development of production and investment in the presence of representatives of the heads of the three branches of government and presents solutions to eliminate them to the Islamic Consultative Assembly for final approval.
Introduction to the Board of Directors of the Iranian Chamber
The duties and powers of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce are in accordance with Articles 17 to 20 of the Law of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture of Iran. Article 17: The members of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Chamber are 7 people, and 5 people from each city, who are elected at the first meeting of the Board of Representatives for a period of 4 years.
Article 18: In order to manage the executive affairs of the Chamber in accordance with the relevant laws, regulations, and bylaws, the President of the Chamber shall propose a person to the Board of Directors as Secretary General, who, after approval by the Board of Directors, shall perform his duties under the supervision of the President.
Note – The replacement of the Secretary General will be at the proposal of the Chairman and approved by the Board of Directors.
Article 19: The duties and powers of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Chamber are:
Reviewing and approving the proposals and reports of the Chamber’s commissions and reporting them to the Board of Representatives and the Supreme Supervisory Council as appropriate.
Selecting Chamber representatives to participate in official domestic or international forums and determining the scope of their work and activities and related expenses.
Reviewing and approving the budget and allocating the annual budget prepared by the Secretary General and proposing it to the Board of Representatives for approval.
Implementing the resolutions of the Supreme Supervisory Council and the Board of Representatives.
