The following petition on the Lake Urmia Crisis signed by thousands of South Azerbaijanis, was submitted  to the secretary of the United Nations:

To His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon

The Secretary General of the UNITED NATIONS

Re; Lake Urmia Is Drying Up! Help Save Lake Urmia (Azerbaijan, Iran)

Dear Secretary General,

Lake Urmia, the largest lake in the Middle East and one of the environmental wonders of the world, is registered as Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and listed as a wetland of international importance under the 1971 Ramsar Convention. Over the last several years, as a result of surface water diversion through construction of over 40 damns and extraction of underground water sources via deep driven wells, Lake Urmia has shrunk significantly, and its depth has fallen by seven meters. According to experts, if the lake completely dries up, a 8-10 billion tons of salt will be blown by winds into the atmosphere resulting in an ecological devastation not only in Azerbaijani cities of Iran but also, in neighboring countries such as Turkey and Azerbaijan. Please Help Save Lake Urmia and people of Azerbaijan.