TEHRAN –Stefan Priesner, the UN Resident Coordinator for Iran, has said that the international conference on combating sand and dust storms which was held in September last year in Tehran will contribute to adopting measures to deal with the global predicament.

“Sand and dust storms are global challenges with major environmental, health, and economic impacts worldwide,” ISNA quoted Priesner as saying.

He made the remarks on the occasion of the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms on July 12.

Recognizing that SDSs and their negative impacts at different scales are issues of international concern, at Iran’s initiative, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed July 12 as the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms

The Department of Environment played host to the event on Friday to mark the international day which aims to raise awareness and enhance resilience against SDSs as a global concern.

On September 9-10, 2023, Iran hosted an important conference on combating SDSs in which experts proposed solutions that underscored the need for global cooperation to address dust storms.

Representatives of some 50 countries and 15 international organizations attended the conference. 

Decade on combating SDSs 

The General Assembly has adopted a draft resolution called ‘United Nations Decade (2025-2034) on Combating Sand and Dust Storms (SDSs)’, the 11th resolution on addressing SDSs since 2016.

In September 2023, the 6th UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) approved a resolution adopted at the international summit on dealing with sand and dust storms which was held in Tehran.

The draft resolution was submitted to the United Nations General Assembly by the Group of 77, which includes 134 developing countries, IRNA reported.

Iran, on behalf of the Group of 77, held negotiations about the resolution till they finally came to a conclusion. On July 10, the assembly dedicated a 10-year period (from 2025 to 2034) to the fight against SDS.

The Assembly invited the Secretary-General to take appropriate steps to plan and organize the activities of the Decade at the global, regional, and country levels. 

It also stressed that the cost of all activities that may arise from the implementation of the resolution should be met from voluntary contributions, including from the private sector. 

The resolution has referred to dust and sand storms as serious global concerns that impose significant social, economic, health, and environmental consequences on the residents of affected countries.

They increasingly threaten the achievement of 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and the resolution therefore aims to enhance international and regional cooperation to prevent, halt, and mitigate their effects. 

The resolution aims to address SDSs and foster regional and international cooperation to mitigate the negative effects of SDSs, particularly in vulnerable countries.

In 2029, the resolution and its implementation will be reviewed and revised based on the Secretary General of the UN's report.

MT/MG