UN building. File photo for representational purposes only.
Beirut: A United Nations forum held here on Tuesday called for stronger global cooperation to combat the growing threat of sand and dust storms (SDS), which experts warned are intensifying worldwide and posing serious environmental, health, and economic risks.
The two-day Forum on Fostering Interregional Collaboration on Sand and Dust Storms brought together policymakers, scientists, and international experts at the UN House in Beirut.
According to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Western Asia is among the regions most severely affected by SDS, and similar challenges are escalating in Central and South Asia, the Far East, and the Sahel.
Meanwhile, SDS also spreads fine particles and pathogens across vast distances, worsening respiratory diseases, disrupting transport, and damaging crops.
The participants discussed improving scientific data and early warning systems, mobilizing finance and technology, integrating SDS risks into climate and health policies, and building partnerships involving governments, civil society, and the private sector.
In July 2024, the UN General Assembly designated 2025-2034 as the "United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms."
