United Nations Launches Interregional Dialogue Series to Combat Sand and Dust Storms

Doha, Qatar | 18-19 February 2025

The United Nations General Assembly, acknowledging the escalating threat posed by sand and dust storms (SDS) to human health, the environment, and sustainable development, has declared 2025-2034 as the Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms. This declaration, outlined in Resolution A/RES/78/314, marks a commitment to scaling up efforts to prevent, halt and mitigate the devastating impacts of this transboundary phenomenon. It calls upon the UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms to support the Secretary-General in planning and organizing activities for the decade at global, regional, and national levels.

For the 2025-2026 period, the UN Economic and Social Commissions for Western Asia (ESCWA) and Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) are co-chairing the Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms through ESCWA’s Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies (ACCCP), and ESCAP’s Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM). With support from the Government of Sweden, ESCWA and ESCAP are leading a series of interregional dialogues designed to deepen understanding and enhance collaborative action to mitigate the effects of this challenge.

The first dialogue in this series is took place on 18-19 February 2025 in Doha, Qatar, bringing together officials Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates. Participants represented diverse government sectors from each of these countries, including environment, agriculture, foreign affairs, meteorology, energy, water, health, and transport, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of this hazard. 

Discussions centered on enhancing shared understanding of sand and dust storms’ risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts. Presented country reports highlighted key challenges and national priorities and set the stage for identifying opportunities for interregional cooperation and defining actionable steps forward.

Ambassador Bader Aldafa, Qatar’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and Sustainability, who delivered the opening remarks, highlighted that the dialogue serves as a vital platform for sharing knowledge, best practices, and innovative solutions to address the shared challenge of sand and dust storms. Ms. Letizia Rossano, Director of APDIM, stated that the dialogue series reinforce the power of collaboration, bridges knowledge gaps, and drives solutions that transcend borders, adding that “the fight against the sand and dust storms is one we can only win together”. Echoing a call for partnership, Ms. Carol Chouchani Cherfane, Director of ACCCP, emphasized that uniting efforts is essential for developing resilient strategies with lasting impact, calling collaboration the cornerstone of effective mitigation of sand and dust storms.

Doha dialogue was just the beginning. Two other dialogues are currently scheduled for May and October 2025. The future interregional dialogues will build on shared knowledge and lessons learned, to reinforce continued cooperation beyond borders.