Special High-Level Event on Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) - Action Dome, UNCCD COP17

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I wonder if I could just have a moment of your time. We are just waiting for a number of dignitaries to make their way to us. You know what cop is like rushing from one meeting to another. So we're waiting for our. Dr. Amina, Her Excellency, to make her way to us. She's rushing over, I understand, hopefully on a cart. So if you could please allow us up to 10 minutes before we begin. You have a few moments, I think, just to complete your networking, always important at COPs. And then we will begin in under 10 minutes time. I've just seen a car pull up, so it could be quicker. And of course, we're expecting our guest as well, Dr. Yasmin Fouad. Thank you very much for your patience. Thank you. And that's on her way. But Jasmine is here.

Sai Gae Minani Sai Gae Minani Saige minani non Saige minani Sondani mamidana ki Mitari majura he murajotangori jama Saige Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Ngari ma o tanung yalta be. Lana ma koina chiri futai funa. Ke amena na yolo. Amen. Wabuhame. Na na yolo. Na na yolo. Amen. me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me Dioko Kolo, Dioko Kolo, Dioko Kolo, Dioko Kolo, Kolo, Kolo, Kolo, Kolo, Kolo, the Alhamdulillah, Rabbi, la, la, mina. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Thank you. Thank you for having me here with this really important subject. I really want to read something here that I prepared when I was coming. In French first, and then I will say something in English. C'est pour moi un grand honneur d'etre ici a Mongolie, d'etre de culture et de civilisation, a l'occasion de cette COP17. Depuis toujours, la musique m'a appris une chose: nous sommes liés les uns aux autres, nous sommes aussi liés à la terre. La terre nourrit, elle fait vivre nos villages, nos villes, nos familles, nos agriculteurs et nos éleveurs. Quand la terre souffre, La vie devient fragile. Pour moi, la désertification n'est pas une idée abstraite. Je suis originaire de la vallée du fleuve Sénégal, dans une région située aux portes du Sahel. Là-bas, les populations connaissent la chaleur, les longues périodes sans pluie, la pression de l'eau, l'appauvrissement des sols et la fragilité des pâturages. they know the impact of less productive land. When the herd goes further to find food, that's why I'm committed to being an ambassador of good will for this convention. I'm not doing it just as an artist supporting a cause, I'm doing it because I know the effects of drought and desertification. A good When I stand up near the part of Podor, a small part of Podor, I'm facing Mauritania. When I was young, I was born between my mom and dad, of course, but grandparents in the big family. We used to cross the river for six months to stay there to do agriculture. At that moment, Sometimes I see my mom and the oldest woman of the family and the oldest villagers around us running sometimes, very scared because we see from far away sandstorm coming to us. We never get used to that. At that moment, especially the women, they want to protect the children, the animals. and don't know exactly what's going to happen. We never get used to that. This is why we understood that you can be from Senegal, but you are connected to Mauritania and you are even connected to the North African countries. Whatever happens there, don't think about border. You just come to us and you can see the impact of sand and dust in our world. life. But I think human beings. Have to go away from fatality and think deeply that we can arrange things. If you come together, you can see solutions. We can restore lands. We can restore our forest and to bring together all the things that when I was growing up, I was seeing it and I wanted to sing so much. about this lovely part of Africa. Things are changing because of climate change, because of desertification. And when some of the young people they go to into my songs who are very deeply connected to our culture, there are many words that was referring to that time when I was growing up that they don't understand. And I hope together here at this COP, you can find the solution to restore lands, to stop desertification and to get away from dust and sandstorms. Thank you very much.

Baba Maal, thank you very much indeed. And I don't know about you folks, but I'm going to invite you just to take the seat. I think we've got a seat reserved for you. Thank you very much. What a voice, ladies and gentlemen, and not an instrument, not an accompaniment. That is true passion. you've never heard of Baba Mal, you have now, literally. And I asked him, I said, Baba, how do you describe yourself? And he said, I'm an activist, as you heard. He's a humanitarian. He's also a UN goodwill ambassador. I don't know if he mentioned that, but he travels the world with the UN doing whatever he can. And of course, he is an amazing musician. Now, all of this work, of course, going towards protecting the most vulnerable in our community, in our world. I say community, it's the global community that need the support, but also the solidarity of the UN. So what we're doing here matters. The messages we get out matter. And the distinguished leaders that have gathered in this room today are absolutely testament to that. It is therefore my pleasure to welcome to this special high level event, and I invite my distinguished guests to join me and on the stage as I announce our host, His Excellency, the Vice President of the Department of Environment and Climate Change for Mongolia. Munkhtamir Butaya on behalf of the COP17 presidency, please welcome. Thank you very much indeed. I'll ask you to sit here. Thank you. And joining him today, Her Excellency Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Her Excellency Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. Her Excellency Ameda Selsia Alice Gebremesghin, the Executive Secretary of ESCAP. Thank you very much. And Her Excellency Inger Anderson, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Thank you. I mean, talk about a power panel. An absolute honour for myself to be here. So, Excellencies, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome to our discussion on mitigating sand and dust storms. I'm just going to grab an additional microphone just so that we are ready before I invite my first speaker. Thank you very much, Excellency. Yes. So before we commence with our opening remarks on behalf of all of us here, I would like to thank the government of Mongolia and the COP 17 presidency for their outstanding leadership and such warm hospitality. It's been wonderful being in your country. Thank you very much indeed. And of course, through their vision and commitment, Mongolia has brought the international community together to advance action on some of the most urgent challenges facing our planet. Your Excellency, you have three minutes. The floor is yours. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for gathering together all. Your Excellency, Ms. Samina Muhammad, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, and Her Excellency, Ms. Jasmin Fod, Executive Secretary of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and Excellency, Ms. Armita Sasiya Adijabana, the Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. and Mr. Lee Isu-ho, Secretary General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, and distinguished guests and delegates. Ladies and gentlemen, here in Mongolia, the connection between land, water, and human well-being is visible in every landscape. When land is degraded and water becomes scarce, the consequences do not remain confined to one place. They rise with the wind, cross borders, and affect communities far beyond their source. This is why today's pilot event is both timely and important. It is my pleasure to welcome you to Ulaanbaatar and to this important event at UNCCD COP17. As we mark Water Day COP17, we are reminded that sand and dust storms are not only environmental challenge, they affect public health, food, and water security, livelihoods, infrastructure, and economic development. The bar consequence and driver of the land degradation and water insecurity. Mongolia is one of the major source of the sand and dust storms in Northeast Asia. Over the past 35 years, number of dust storms has increased by two to five days in some parts of our country. with certain areas now experiencing between five and 40 such days a year. These figures are clear call for action. We must place source mitigation at the center of our response by restoring degraded land, managing land, water resource sustainability, and strengthening the resilience of communities. At the same time, sand and dust storms are transboundary challenge that requires cooperation. Dust can travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers from its source. No country can address this challenge alone. Effective action requires leadership, scientific cooperation, and investment. Mongolia therefore welcomes the Global Implementation Initiative for Sand and Dust Storms as an important mechanism for translating international commitments into coordinated action during the UN Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms from 2025 and 2034. We are also proud to have launched, together with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, the Initiative on Strengthening Transboundary Cooperation for Sand and Dust Storms. This launch marks an important milestone in advancing our collective efforts to combat sand and dust storms. By strengthening early warning systems, transboundary risk assessments, knowledge sharing and sustainable policy engagement, the initiative will contribute to the environmental security and sustainable development across Northeast Asia. Earlier this morning, we also officially launched the Water-Land Nexus Initiative, underscoring the interconnected relationship between the healthy land, sustainable water management and resilient communities. These initiatives will form part of the Step Action Agenda, the legacy of COP17. Through this agenda, we seek to ensure that commitments and partnerships advanced here in Ulaanbaatar are translated into coordinated, practical and sustained action well beyond this conference. I invite all parties and partners to use today's dialogue to identify solutions that can be scaled up, mobilize the partnerships and financing required and turn our shared commitments into lasting results. Together we can protect healthy land and build more resilient future. Thank you very much.

Excellent, Sidi Badrbayar. Thank you very much indeed. Before we move on to hear the first of our opening remarks from our panel, can I just ask, ask. I do apologize. I know it's so tempting to network when we're in the room, but the acoustics mean that even a conversation at the back, at the door, the entrance door carries forward. So I will ask please, whilst our speakers are talking, just to keep your conversations to the minimum, just out of respect. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. And so our next speaker hardly needs an introduction. She is a figure that is widely recognized as one of the architects of the SDGs, the sustainable development goals. And her presence today reflects the importance of the United Nations and its attachment to combating sand and storms as part of the wider effort to build resilience, protect ecosystems and achieve sustainable development, not for one, but for all. Madam Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohamed. Thank you very much indeed. Please launch the Secretary General's framework for action on sand and dust storms. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Excellencies, our distinguished delegates, friends, colleagues, may I just say to my brother, Baba Mao, thank you so much for sharing your testament of our people. It's very deep, it's very personal, and we deeply appreciate you being here to share that with us. Yesterday, we heard a statistic that should stop us in our tracks, that the share of land affected by desertification and degradation here in Mongolia has soared from around 65 to 81%. UNCCD data tells us a similar tale, showing that the number of sand and dust storms days has tripled since the 1990s. The desert is encroaching, the land is losing resilience, and communities are paying the price. But this is not Mongolia's story alone. Across our world, sand and dust storms affect hundreds of millions of people, more than 150 countries. Last year, China saw its worst dust intrusion in a decade, while dust activity broke records along the United States-Mexico border. In Central Asia, the dried bed of the Aral Sea is releasing dust and toxic salts into the atmosphere. Across the Sahel, the Middle East, and other drylands, communities face degraded land, drought, climate stress, and increasingly precarious livelihoods. Dust carries no passport. It blows across our oceans and borders, disrupting agriculture, food systems, closing airports and roads, damaging infrastructure and energy systems, harming biodiversity, and entering people's lungs far from its source. Sand and dust storms are not just an environmental issue. They are a development issue. They're a health issue, a food security issue, an economic issue, and increasingly an issue of human security and regional cooperation. At a time when geopolitical tensions are mounting, fiscal space is shrinking, and many developing countries are struggling under debt and climate pressures, these storms are another multiplier of vulnerability. Member states recognize this phenomenon when they proclaimed to 2025 to 2034, the United Nations decade on combating sand and dust storms. They saw how sand and dust storms undermine progress on 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. And they call for stronger international and regional cooperation, greater investment in science, research, innovation, indigenous knowledge, and partnerships to take pilots to scale. The Secretary-General's framework we launch here today is a response to that. It organizes the UN's work around four priorities. First, raising awareness and improving understanding. We must make the scale, the causes and the consequences visible, not only to environmental ministries, but to finance ministers, to health systems, farmers, businesses and communities. Second, sharing knowledge and practices. That means stronger science, better data, early warning and advisory systems, and a greater use of innovation, including artificial intelligence and foresight. It also means connecting UN knowledge platforms so that countries can find and use the expertise that already exists. Third, mobilizing action. We must take successful projects to scale with a sense of urgency. We must Great sand and dust storm priorities into global national agendas and mobilize technical and financial resources, including innovative finance and private investment. And 4th, fostering genuine collaboration. Trans boundary challenges require trans boundary solutions. Connecting our work to climate to biodiversity, desiccation and disaster risk reduction. and bringing governments, all governments together with science, with civil society, communities, and the private sector. For me, this agenda is also very personal. I come from Nigeria, where I had the privilege of serving as my country's Minister of Environment. I've seen what land degradation does to people's lives. I've seen the pollution, I've seen the exacerbation of conflicts between herders and farmers. or in the Lake Chad with Boko Haram, a terrorist organization. And I've seen the promise of initiatives like Africa's Great Green Wall, an amazing idea born out of leaders of the AU in Senegal and Nigeria. It aims not only to restore landscapes, but to create green jobs, strengthen food systems, and give young people hope. The same lesson applies to this decade. Environmental restoration must connect land, livelihoods, resilience and peace. No country, as we have heard, can do this alone. And that is why the UN system must work differently. The United Nations Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms already brings together 21 of our agencies, but also our regional economic commissions. The framework makes that collective capacity more accessible to member states. Uniting science policy and science policy, connecting early warning with anticipatory action, linking land restoration with food security, health, livelihoods, identifying scalable solutions and helping our countries access partnerships, knowledge and much needed finance. But partnership runs both ways. We need member states to bring forward their priorities and their solutions. We need countries to share data and experience across borders. We need political leadership to integrate this agenda into national development and financing plans. And we need governments, international financial institutions, the private sector, and other partners to mobilize the resources to deliver on this decade of action. Excellencies, 10 years is long enough to change the trajectory, but short enough that we cannot afford to waste a single one year. An African proverb always comes to mind, if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. Sand and dust storms show us how profoundly connected we are. Particles from one place can darken the skies a thousand kilometers away, but solidarity can travel just as far. Let us all let me let our determination be stronger than the winds that carry the dust. We must enable knowledge, technology, finance and solutions to cross those borders. Together we can restore land. We can protect our communities and livelihoods and the future generations. A world that is greener, more resilient and more secure. The UN is ready. Let us make this decade count. Thank you.

Your Excellency, thank you very much indeed. Thank you. And just listening to what you had to say in that this issue has no borders. I live in the UK and we're not spoilt by fantastic weather, but I'm sure you've been following the news and it started last year with quite precedence. We noticed dust on our cars. But dust in spring and everybody was like, oh, this dust, this dust. And again this year we've had it since I think the end of March and not one person that I had a conversation with. Maybe it's because I'm a geographer and I was born in Africa. You learn to read the signs. And I kept saying, but aren't you worried about why it's coming to us so early or where it's come from? And I don't think the dots have been joined up yet. So it's not a question of it's over there. It has arrived. It has arrived. So over the past few days, and I'm sure most of you in this room, have heard the UNCCD Executive Secretary speak with absolute urgency about sustainable land management, restoration and drought resilience. It's wonderful to listen to her speak. Well, she is now going to set out how the Global Implementation Initiative on Sand and Dust Storms can bring those priorities together, helping countries to reduce dust emissions at source, whilst protecting the communities most at risk. Dr. Yasmine Fouad, the floor is yours. Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you very much. I'll not be long, but maybe I'll add to what the DSG said. Thank you very much for joining us today. Thank you for this, Gavin, for my sister Inger, and definitely for my brother Mokhtar for being here with us on behalf of the Minister. The DSG has just launched the framework and I would like to recognize the work that has been done before I joined the UNCCD by 21 organization from sister UN organizations under the leadership of the DSG and how can we move forward in that. Based on COP16 decision, there was the mandate that the UNCCD based that they convene 197 parties that they would look on how best to start looking into For just the end. The SDS or or the number of sand and the storm that goes to the atmosphere each year is 2 billion tons. That is around 350. Size of the pyramids of the Giza where I come from. So we all. Always think that that's when that's whether that's not that's unsustainable management of our land. That's how we're doing in over grazing. That's how human. Activity. on the land goes back to the air. Is there solutions? The solution starts from the ground as everything else starts from the ground as the way we start walking, we walk on the ground and on the land and and so forth. Based on that, the the UNCCD in collaboration with different parties because there are different regions. You can see here the eternal blue sky as they say here in Mongolia, but that's not the case in other parts of the world. So number one, what we think as we collectively as UN system has collaborated on that framework, parties should start collaborating at the regional and the sub regional level because we cannot do it alone. Secondly, on that implementation, it requires three things. First of all, raising the awareness on how much, which is part of the framework. This is really important connected to economy, connected to health, but much more connecting to the woman even when they go out of their home in the in the rural areas to go back to get their food or to deliver their children or do that kind of transport. This hinders their life and their process. So it is really very serious. The second part is the regional and the sub regional cooperation because no country can do it alone. It has no passport. I always say that and no national boundaries. You cannot get the passport to say with the sand and the storm is moving. from this country to the other. And this requires really a political commitment. And the third thing, which is magnificent, and we saw some piloting case studies in that part, investment of the private sector. In every single world that relates to land restoration, I will keep saying that the finance that's there up in the sky is not enough. Private sector can do land restoration, can contribute to sand and dust storm that is in the air by investing in the land, can make mitigation to the drought resilience and can really work on land and water interlinkage. So whatever topic you're talking about related to our land, the private sector has a stake. We need just to show how this can really happen and we would be more than happy to collaborate with parties continue under the leadership of the DSG and SG himself on providing services to our partner as a platform to convene that. But one important final remark is the source mitigation. The early warning system is a very important part and one part of what we're doing here, maybe it's not very much related, which is behind the wall here on the. on the left, this is what I have been promoting since yesterday is the IDRO, the International Drought Resilient Observatory. The screens there behind that white wall can tell you in each country, if you go to Egypt, for an example, I would say drought because I can see it in coffee shift in the Nile Delta that we need to handle that. But maybe the IDRO, this observatory can tell me, no, you need to invest in the 1.5 million for them that the country has just did because that investment can cause you less than what you have invested in this part. This is exactly what we're talking about. The source mitigation and the toolbox that we have been collaborating with different UN partners is the beginning and it's there. And we hope that the parties in this COP would give us a mandate to continue advancing on that and giving the implementation to the other UN sister convention, the RCs as well. Thank you very much.

Madam Executive Secretary, thank you very much indeed. So we heard there, Her Excellency talking about connections, connections to help us with connecting the ambition into the action. I'm now pleased to invite the current co-chair of the United Nations Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, who has helped strengthen regional cooperation, science and knowledge sharing across regions that have been most affected. Madam Secretary, Madam Executive Secretary, Amida, Salsia, Alice, Jabana, I'd like to ask you, how can the coalition help turn the ambitions of the decade into coordinated action on the ground? Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. And I would like to start by recognizing the leadership of the COP17 presidency, Mongolia, as well as the SD of course, the overall leadership of the SD, my colleague, ES Jasmine, as well as ED Inger. So again, on this Sun and the Storm, the SD just launched, formally launched the UN framework on Sun and the storm and this year is actually already in implementation because runs from 2025 to 2034. So in this context again, this colleague that the current the current colleague has come together with Esqua. So we are the second year of of this co chairship. We would like to share yet two initiatives. first one, the first one was launched that was in Turkey to look at the exact in July, early July of this year, it was launched in Turkey. This interregional initiative to combat sand and dust storm in Western Asia comprises countries namely Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, in which the 10 countries jointly agreed on a detailed and common programmatic initiative to mitigate the impact of sand and dust storm in the region. And this initiative is supported jointly by ESCWA as well as ESCAP. The 10 participating countries agreed on a shared three-year program of work and clear priorities for cooperation. It demonstrated how sustained evidence based engagement can build the confidence needed to move from mere consultation, dialogue and all this meeting yet to coordinate action even in the most complex circumstances. Maybe I would like to underline this, I think the special or the unique circumstances of a country.

Sorry. I do apologize. Yeah, I'll give you mine.

In a similar frame, I'm also pleased to announce, but I think excellency already also shared earlier, that today, just before this session actually, we launched the Government of Mongolia and the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, the so-called the Mongolia TCS as well as ESCAP initiative on sand and dust storm in Northeast Asia. TCS comprises, this is also quite unique, comprises of the three major countries, China, Japan and Republic of Korea. So therefore this initiative leverage the comparative advantages of the TCS countries, namely China, Japan and Republic Korea, as well as the comparative advantage that Mongolia can offer to forward the Sun and Dust Storm Initiative, especially in North East Asia with its specific situation where Mongolia is highly exposed to the impacts of sun and dust storm while also facing challenges in managing dust source areas. The initiative builds on the commitment again of China, Japan and Republic of Korea in strengthening cooperation under the so-called Trilateral Plus X framework. So this actually this this earlier this initiative was agreed during the TCS summit back then 2024 by providing a platform for joint action. It will help countries exchange knowledge, strengthen regional cooperation and address. challenge that extends beyond national borders. And I'm also pleased to note that this initiative here both support the regional plan of action on sand and dust storm in Asia Pacific that was initiated back then quite early 2021, 2022 and contributes obviously to the objectives of the UN dedicate on combating sun and dust storm and especially on the framework that the SD just launched. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you, Excellency. Our next speaker has long been one of the world's leading voices when it comes to ecosystem restoration, environmental resilience and sustainable development. And her presence reminds us to think that tackling sound and dust storms means addressing the root causes and putting healthy ecosystems and resilient landscapes at the heart of the response. So please welcome the Madam Executive Director, Inger Anderson, to help us with understanding what needs to be scaled now in order to make this UN decade a success. Thank you, the floor is yours.

First of all, I'd like to pay tribute to Mongolia for extraordinary leadership and for hosting us here, and of course to the DSG for the real leadership that you've shown throughout your two terms and for being a real champion of this issue. And of course, to our kind host of COP17 and Bravo for all the great work and my dear sister Amida. So this issue is one that if you're in this room, you may indeed have experienced this. sand and dust storm and hearing Baba Mal beautiful singing, which I didn't understand, but which completely melted my heart. And then what you said, it took me back to when I was a very young woman, 1982, arrived in Sudan and I was a volunteer doing work for seven years in that beautiful country. And I saw this wall of yellow. And if you haven't seen it, you don't know what it is. And I was a very young woman, not knowing what the wall was. And I was in the school. I was a teacher in a far-flung village away in northern Sudan, far north of Khartoum. And this wall came and all the girls, it was a high school, ran like you described. into the classroom. This was very basic school, closing the windows, you know, the kind of basic schools we're talking about. And we took our hijab and we just rolled it around our heads because otherwise you can't breathe. And then of course the wall stays for days, but you have to get home and so on. And it was these seven years that I experienced and saw, I lived with a family who hosted me, very basic, humble circumstances in that village. I saw a child whose asthma at extraordinary levels. Why is that? Well, it's exactly as you made the point, DSG, these things connect to everything. And so I wanted to mention that story because it sort of brings it to real life. But many here have experienced this. So I humbly submit that I'm just one who had this opportunity and privilege of seeing and living. But this new initiative, this global initiative that the Secretary General through the DSG has now launched is super meaningful. And of course we have to talk about because we are seeing a great we have known sand and dust storms from the beginning of time, but the intensity and the frequency is increasing. So let's kind of have a conversation about why that is. And there are a number of causes and contributing factors to this. Yes, climate change, let's just be very real. And so we have to deal with that and our CO2 emissions and all. But beyond that, we have to have a conversation around overgrazing at the privilege of visiting here an area where the professor, the Bronkolan professor was highlighting indeed overgrazing as a real dimension. But of course, your flock is your wealth. And so we have to discuss, we're not gonna blame the herders, but we have to discuss how we can do this better. And yes, over extraction, including dam building, over extraction, of course, and therein are international and cross-border conversations that are needed to be had. And yes, forest degradation, and yes, of course, conversion of land, and yes, fragmentation. And each of these are needed, we need to sort of, and this is what you're saying together with our partners, we need to map the causes, but also the virulence, the intensity and the frequency of these sand and dust storms. What is the trajectory? Are they getting more intense, longer, et cetera? The ones that I lived, and there were many, I can tell you, would be four to five days at a go, and you really cannot do anything during that time. And so the solutions lie in addressing overgrazing without blaming the herders, I insist, but we're working with herders. There were, and in the Arab there is a word called Hema, which refers to protection, to set aside, to be gentle with. And that word is one that is well understood in many, many cultures and speaks to how can we ensure that we work collaboratively with our herds and that we shift them around But we have in some places lost that because of colonial occupation or other issues, because maybe we've converted the land to agricultural and it was not suited. And so the land is exhausted and needs to recover. Now there are real solutions and this will be my last point. And I just want to mention a place like Somalia, which obviously suffers intensely from this, where we've had the privilege of working in Galmudug in Somalia. On restoration, on ensuring that you can have that shifting agriculture and the grazing and reintroducing that which has been lost during. The colonial period. colonial occupation Etc and and those issues are very important so this the secretary General's new initiative that speaks to awareness and science that speaks to how we share knowledge that speaks to mobilizing around this issue and speaks to having collaboration across the UN. That is the way and I want to absolutely pledge that we from UNEP look forward to working with everyone on this important initiative. Thank you.

Madam Executive Secretary, thank you very much indeed. And before we close this opening section, I just want to say it's been inspiring and a privilege to hear from such an extraordinary group of leaders whose experience, authority, but also commitment is shaping the global response to some of our most pressing challenges of our time. Thank you very much. Thank you. And sir, gentlemen. Well, we're not done. That was opening section. In a moment, let me take you through what is going to happen. We have got two panels coming up with distinguished representatives from a number of countries that are part of the sand and dust storms response. We are going to have responses from our panel members. If we have time, if we have time, we started off slightly late. we will go to a Q&A section. If we don't, we move on rapidly. Time will be tight. I'm warning you now, you have up to three to four minutes to respond and I will interject. I'd like to get you off as early as possible to bring this event to a close. And so let us begin, please. Okay, for our first panel, we are going to be addressing sand and dust storms at source. And I'd like to welcome to the stage His Excellency Aziz Abdukan Kimov, the Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate from the Government of Uzbekistan. Thank you very much indeed. Sorry. Also, Her Excellency Dr. Raghad Asaad Kadhim Al-Obaidi, the Deputy Minister of Environment of Iraq. Thank you very much. Followed by His Excellency Reza Aflak Touni, the Deputy Minister of Environment and head also of NRWO of the Islamic Republic of Iran. excellency Mr. Awais Manzoor Sumra the Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination of Pakistan and our final guest Mr. Li Danbo the Director General of the Academy of National Forestry and Grasslands of the People's Republic of China thank you very much welcome to the stage ladies and gentlemen I wonder if I could please ask you to keep the conversations and the noise down. Ladies and gentlemen, please can I have quiet? Thank you. Okay, and so we come to our first question. I'm going to come to Uzbekistan first. Thank you, Your Excellency. Now, the restoration of the Aral Kum landscape is addressing one of the world's largest human-induced dust sources. I'd love to know if you could share with us, please, what have been the most important lessons from that work? and which are the most relevant to the Global Implementation Initiative and also the UN Decade. Your Excellency, you have three and a half minutes. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Thank you.

Dear colleagues, Uzbekistan, our experience show us that often dust and sandstorms It is a forecasting and the disaster response issue, but I think it's not enough. The Aral Sea is, it's well known, has lost around 90% of its surface and volume. And the exposed seabed has become the Aral Kum desert, major source of sand and dust emission, more than 150 million ton annually. At the same time, we have already established protective vegetation across more than the 2 million hectares of the dried up bottom of Aral Sea. And this experience has taught us the simple lesson. We must move from responding to dust storms to managing their sources. Therefore, we welcome the global implementation initiatives on the sand and dust storms under the UN decade 2025-2034. At the same time, we believe that its success should be measured not by the number of strategies and meetings, but by concrete figures. Land restored, dust sources stabilized, communities protected, and investment mobilized. In this regard, Uzbekistan proposed four practical mechanisms. First, the Central Asian is this investment program. As you know, Central Asia already has a regional strategy on sand and dust storms management for 2021 to 2030, as well as national source maps and other technical tools. And next step should be implementation. We with the support of UNCCD, a global mechanism, we propose to identify four or five priority dust source landscapes and prepare integrated investment projects combining source stabilization, land restoration, protective vegetation, water and soil management and community resilience. And for each landscape, we propose a common dust source passport covering the source, type of degradation, water conditions, suitable native species, restoration technology, and expected reduction of dust emissions. And objective should be clear to develop regional investment portfolio for presenting to our financial partners and funds. and we are ready to provide the Aral Kum and other drylands areas as demonstration platforms. Second proposal and impact based regional warning protocol. Unfortunately, we don't have integrated regional early warning system and existing forecasting capabilities doesn't provide us accurate data and information. So we propose to establish as a network of regional automatic stations and also introduce a common regional protocol. We propose that Central Asia countries and Mongolia can develop common data standards, three or four impact levels and predefined actions for health authorities, transport, aviation, agriculture, schools and other sectors. Third, We propose to strengthen the regional science and technology backbone. As you know, Uzbekistan is developing the research institutes for combating desertification and developing of desert economy under Green University in Tashkent. We propose using this existing scientific platform as a regional dryland science and solution hub, rather than creating another international institutions. Its practical instrument could be a dryland project lab connecting science, technology, field testing and investment. And this lab we can use to bring together 25, 30 specialists annually from Central Asia, Mongolia and other dryland regions. And it should be concrete results, investment ready projects, including baseline budget safeguards, KPIs and financing pathways. Also, we propose to establish Central Asia, Northeast Asia, dryland technology bridge, allowing restoration technologies, including sand stabilization, native species, drones, satellite monitoring, and AI-based land assessment to be tested under different arid conditions before scaling. Fourth, create a financing pipeline, not another financing institution. One of the main barriers is not the absence of ideas, but gap between promising the idea and bankable project. Therefore, I think we can use Central Asia Land Project Preparation Facility to finance feasibility studies, baseline and the MRV system and financial structuring. Excellencies, I believe this is where the global implementation incentive can add real value. We don't need another layer of strategy, we need the delivery mechanism. And I invite UNCCD, global mechanism, WMO, development banks, climate funds and interested countries to work with us on these mechanisms. Let us make the first phase on global implementation incentive measurable. four six demonstration landscapes, regional impact based warning protocol, portfolio of investment ready projects and clear financing pipeline by 2027, 2028. This is our vision how we can turn the UN decade on combating sand and dust storms into the decade of prevention, restoration and investment. Thank you.

Excellency, thank you very much for that. Thank you. Let us turn then to the experience of Iraq. And I would like to know, Excellency, Dr. Raghad, how is Iraq tackling those root causes when it comes to land degradation, drought and water management? And what have you learned from cooperation with neighboring countries, including Kuwait? Thank you.

Thank you. It's an honor for me to be here with you. For me, in my country, We believe that the concept that the transboundary sand and dust storm are transboundary problems and we have to take it as an original and international integrity and solidarity moving away from unilateral state work. We also want to integrating policy between water security and between drought rising and sand and dust storm. Because, because that, if we make here, if we make, if we adopt a policy framework for equitable water allocation, with upstream countries and for water management. We can lessen the rising of the drought which are feeding the dust and sand and dust storms. And also we are believe in making unified early warning systems with the regional countries. by connecting our broadcasting stations with the broadcasting stations in the neighboring areas and also by connecting with the radars and making unique maps that show us the pathways of storms and give us precautions before the storms come to our countries so we can lessen the environmental degradation cost on the loss and damage in agriculture, health and the transportation sectors. In Iraq, we are planning and working on ecosystem restoration policies to restore the graze lands by planting salinity resisting plants and native plants so we can restore our grasslands and also by expanding green belts around the big cities which are affected by drought and sand and dust storm. And also we are looking for blended co-financing with the private sectors to make sharing with them to benefit, to get tangible benefits on the ground. Thank you.

Your Excellency, thank you very much indeed. Thank you. And so we come to the example, or rather the experience of Iran and Your Excellency Reza Aflatooni. How can the UN decade and the global implementation initiative turn all this political commitment into coordinated action on dust storms, but also degraded landscapes? Yes, of course. Thank you very much. Thank you. Sorry. Now, can I just double check that we need translation? Are we yes or no? Do we need translation services? for your response or are you comfortable in English? I wonder if we could just confirm that, Your Excellency.

English.

In English. Okay, wonderful. Okay, so, yes, just for me to repeat that, how can the UN decade and the Global Implementation Initiative turn all this political commitment into coordinated action on dust storms, but also degraded landscapes? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam. In the name of God, ladies and gentlemen, desertification is not confined by the political boundaries of countries. It is a global phenomenon that threatens environmental security and sustainable development across our planet. Addressing this crisis is a shared imperative and requires the cooperation of all countries and international organization distinguished participants Islamic Republic of Iran growing open is a strong National commitment and benefiting from International experiences has taken effective measures to combat desertification the year 2026 designated as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists provide valuable opportunity to devote great attention to the sustainable management of rangelands and desert areas and to benefit from the experiences of different countries. Today, approximately 88 million hectares in Iran have been subject to desertification control and mitigation measures. While environmentally compatible mulching operations have been implemented across 286,000 hectares. In addition, 1.4 million hectares of man-made desert forests have been established and watershed management and aquifer management measures have been implemented over an area of 32 million hectares. Iran is among the pioneers in acceding to the United Nations Convention Combat Desertification and stands ready to share its knowledge, experiences, and successful models with other parties to convention. We firmly believe that South-South cooperation and the engagement of international organization can facilitate and accelerate the achievement of the objective to convention. We believe that addressing climate change and desertification is a global challenge that transcends political boundaries, therefore access parties The convention to financial resources from funds such as the global environmental facility and the green climate fund should be fair and equitable, free from political consideration and based solely on technical indicators as well as their climated and environmental needs. together with the growing threats against natural capital has further highlighted the true urgent need addressing the emerging phenomenon of eco-terrorism, a phenomenon that sort of target the environmental security and natural capital of countries. Let us stand together in condemning this emerging phenomenon of eco-terrorism and respond responsibly and collectively to any action that threatens the natural capital and environmental security of nations. With best wishes for a green planet, abundance is in peace, and a world filled with hope. Thank you.

Excellency, thank you very much for sharing that message with us. So how is Pakistan doing on this? And what are the experiences? To share that with us. Mr. Secretary, just to give some context, Pakistan faces connected pressures. from land degradation, we've got drought, we've got water stress, and then of course on top of that sand and dust storms as well. So how are restoration but also sustainable land management mechanisms reducing the risk while strengthening resilience for those that matter, and I'm referring to communities. The floor is yours, you have three and a half minutes, Your Excellency. Thank you.

Sure, sure, thank you very much, thank you. Excellencies and distinguished colleagues, For Pakistan, sand and dust storms are not only an environmental issue, they are closely linked with land degradation, drought, water scarcity, declining vegetation and the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. Around 80% of Pakistan's landmass is arid or semi-arid. In many of these areas, increasing pressure on land and water makes the soil more vulnerable to wind erosion and dust generation. Our approach in Pakistan is therefore very simple. We must address the problem at its source. Pakistan sees the landscape restoration and sustainable land and water management as central to reducing sand and dust storm risks. This means restoring the vegetation cover, improving the rangeland management, promoting sustainable grazing, conserving soil and water, and using shelter belts and wind breaks wherever appropriate. But restoration cannot succeed without communities, as Vaghi rightly pointed out. Local communities are the first to experience the impacts of drought, degraded land and declining natural resources. They must therefore be partners in any restoration, not simply the beneficiaries. By supporting sustainable land management, and climate resilient livelihoods, we can reduce pressure on degraded landscapes while strengthening community resilience. Ladies and gentlemen, science and technology must also support these efforts. Satellite monitoring, remote sensing, drought monitoring and early warning systems can help us identify the vulnerable areas, understand the emerging risks and take preventive action. excellencies in Pakistan, our work in this area is still evolving. Therefore, rather than presenting a complete success story, Pakistan would like to share an emerging lesson. Preventing land degradation and restoring vulnerable landscapes is more effective than responding after the dust is already in the atmosphere. This requires long-term investment, strong institutions, community participation, science and regional cooperation. Pakistan is committed to strengthening these efforts and stands ready to learn from other countries, sharing our emerging experience and work with the UNCCD and international partners to scale up the practical solutions. Together, by restoring our land, we can reduce dust risks, protect livelihoods and build more resilient communities. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Lessons shared are always welcome. Thank you very much for that. Let's turn now to the People's Republic of China and Director General Li. China is widely recognized for its large scale restoration, but also desertification control. Now, which lesson or practice would you like to share and most recommend to countries seeking to reduce human-induced dust sources? The floor is yours. Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Dear delegates, colleagues, and friends, it is a great pleasure to participate. In this discussion, China has carried out long-term practices in sand dust storm monitoring, research, and governance, and accumulated a wealth of useful experience. We hold that the key to reducing anthropogenic dust desertification and improving ecosystem restoration lies in establishing a long-term, systematic, science-based, and coordinated governance system. First, to strengthen monitoring and early warning to accurately identify dust sources. We need to answer the question of where dust comes from, which is the foundation of governance. The National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China has built an emergency response platform for sand dust storm disasters, integrating satellite remote sensing, ground-based observation, and meteorological data. It enables hourly dynamic monitoring and comprehensive analysis of sand dust storm episodes. And during our years of monitoring results, we pinpoint key sources of dust to ensure resources are directed to regions mostly in need. Second, adhere to long-term planning and stable investment. Since 1978, the Chinese government has advanced desertification prevention and control through the three North shelter forest program and the suit of ecological initiatives. Meanwhile, it has improved founding mechanisms shifting from government led to government led with market driven vitality and fostered a diversified pattern with joint participation by the government and the society. Third, uphold law based governance and strengthen institutional safeguards. The Chinese government has enacted and implemented multiple laws and regulations on eco protection notably the desertification provision and control law which took effect in 2002 and the eco environment code enforced in 2026 they provide a solid legal and institutional base for related efforts fourth adapt science informed governance tailored to local conditions given market Given marked eco variation across different zones, we pursue vegetation development supported by water availability and balanced water resource carrying capacity, land suitability, eco rationality, and eco economic feasibility, transcend administrative boundaries and implement systematic governance integrating different areas of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grassland, and deserts. Fifth, boost the public outreach and education to build social consensus. Prevention and control efforts call for social engagement. Through sustained outreach and education, we hold important events for the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought and the July 1st International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms. Public awareness keeps rising. We recognize that sand dust storms exert transboundary impacts. Under the Global Implementation Initiative, China stands ready to share experiences with all parties, support countries to explore governance models suited to their national realities. Thank you, dear chair.

To regain time. Anybody have a pressing question? Are you happy for us to move forward? Because I am here for you. Okay, let's move on. Thank you very much. To my first panel, thank you for your time and thank you for sharing your experiences. They are very much appreciated. Thank you. Thank you. And whilst the panel makes its way back to the audience, Could I have my second panel please up on the stage with me? So we've been focusing on what works. Here we're going to focus on scaling the action, the science, the cooperation, the resilience and the investment. So to discuss through a number of issues for us from the authority of, from Oman rather, from the Environment Authority of Oman. Please welcome first Mr. Suwaid Salim Al Arimi, the Director General of Vegetation Cover at the Environment Authority. Thank you very much and welcome. Mr. Lee Kwang Ho, the Director General of the Korean Forest Service for the Republic of Korea. Dr. Jumana Saad Al-Qahtani, the Executive Vice President for the Meteorological Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Also joining us is Professor Mustafa Akgul Aydogdu, the Advisory Service to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, as well as Climate Change of Turkey. Mr. Murat. Now, just bear with me. I really want to get this name right. Mr. Murat Temirzhanov, who is joining us as chairman of the Committee for Land Resources Management for Kazakhstan. Also, Mr. Li Fangli, director of Land and Water Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization. I am going to move out the way for you, so please join us on the stage. Thank you. Oh, no, you take the hot seat. Okay, so our second panel, if you just allow me a moment. Panel members, it's wonderful to have you with us. And so we are going to go straight to Oman. And excellency, and I'd like to know that, well, I'd like to know how the country has long championed regional dialogue on shared environmental challenges. So how can countries, regional organizations and partners actually work together to scale successful SDS solutions, but also deliver those visible results that are on the ground? Mr. Al Arami, the floor is yours. You have five minutes. Thank you. Do you have a microphone? Okay, I shall give you mine. Thank you.

I'm going to speak in Arabic if you don't mind.

The presence of the honorable guests, it is my honor.

To share with you today as a representative of the Sultanate of Oman in this strategic dialogue. The sandstorms and dust storms represent a common challenge that transcends their origins and the borders of countries.

Reflecting on the environmental systems, water security, food security, public health, and infrastructure.

We have been working with the international community and we have been following this dust and we have been trying to have early warning systems. But the early warning systems only cannot solve the problems and the root cause of these problems. and taking real steps also means that you have to have a way to deal with this and know the sources and this makes it possible for us to analyze the situation, identify these areas, the sources of this dust and restoration of the land that has been impacted and this will also make it possible for us to restore this land and having a sustainable solution to problems. On Oman side, we have had several initiatives to organize our work. First, we had focus on science and it is relations on our actions, which has made it possible for us to integrate it to our actions so that we are able to restore land to make sure that we reduce this dust. We have also started using data to look at the data and analyze it. and to see how we are able to make use of it and how to make it possible to use it to restore the land. When we restore the land, we will be able to face this problem because this is the first line of defense to combat this problem. so that we improve the situation and find a sustainable solution to this problem to make sure that we also take care of food security. Therefore, this doesn't only mean to face this problem but also means providing food to our area. Thirdly, The cooperation regionally and internationally because national action is important, but also we also need to cooperate with the region in exchanging data and extension knowledge and coordinating the monitoring, early warnings, all these issues that are Therefore, this should not be only on exchange of experience, also of coordinating, taking action together and widening the solution finding. Fourthly, therefore, investment on the issues and implementation of international initiatives to focus to combat dust. and also enabling or providing the resources that are needed to combat this problem. Therefore, there has to be a coordinated effort regionally, internationally, that involves the private sector to have a joint agenda to combat this issue. ladies and gentlemen, representatives from various organizations. This is a real opportunity to achieve a real change to combat this problem. And we hope we will be able to not only issue early warning on the dust, but also we will be able to have a general solution and find a sustainable solution and restore the degraded land so that we combat this debt and we'll be able to be resilient in the face of this by investing in our societies so that they are resilient and they are prosperous. Thank you very much to all of you.

And so to the Republic of Korea. and the country has strong experience in science monitoring and also international cooperation. So how can forecasting and knowledge sharing help countries move from reacting to storms to preventing their impacts and also tackling those root causes? You have three minutes, Director General, the floor is yours. Thank you.

Thank you, madam. I would like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the UNCCD Secretary and the Government of Mongolia for convening this important event today. Due to climate change and land degradation, the frequency and intensity of extreme sand and dust storms are continuously increasing. According to a UNCCD report, approximately two million tons of sand and dust enter the atmosphere every year. The Republic of Korea is no exception, remaining directly in the path of these severe storms. Every spring, the improved yellow and dust, yellow dust and sandstorms into the Korean Peninsula threatens our citizens respiratory health and their livelihoods. Beyond the public health, it causes significant economic damage with production disruptions in our advanced semiconductor industry, paralyzing air logistics and and dampening commercial and retail markets. Loess polystyrene health soils are the most powerful nature-based solution for fundamentally preventing sand and dust storms. Afforestation and vegetation restoration in desertified source regions effectively broaden and dust storms from being lifted into the atmosphere. Furthermore, beyond serving as carbon sinks, forests maximize soil water retention and restore the biodiversity devastated by desertification. Recognizing the severity of the sand and dust storm issue, the Republic of Korea has been striving to mitigate sand and dust storms and restore ecosystems through the Korean-Mongolia Green Belt Project. Over the past 20 years, Korea and Mongolia have created a total of 3,000 hectares of forest in areas such as Lunsun and Dalanzad. The Republic of Korea supports effective global sandstorm response through multilateral cooperation. Through the Changwon Initiative, we have supported the development of science-based sandstorm partners and through the desertification and land degradation in Northeast Asia network, we have promoted the sharing of parishes and knowledge related to sand and dust storms, as well as the development of pilot projects. Sand and dust storms are no longer merely an environmental issue. They are directly tied to our survival, impacting global public health, agriculture and global supply chains. We must address these challenges through science-based land restoration and policy management. The Korean government will continue to work closely with the UNCC and to achieve most contribution to sand dust storms mitigation across the world. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Director General. Now, as we head to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I'm going to put a challenge to you. I'm being rather naughty, but I'm going to use my position right now to try and get an idea if you can. I don't know if you can pitch an idea for us on how restoration investment could be scaled globally. You have so much experience. and the challenges that you have set yourselves in terms of answering has been incredible. I mean, 10 billion trees for a start to be planted. So here is your challenge. Should you accept it, Mr. Executive Vice President? How can restoration investment be scaled globally to reduce SDS risk, but also attract stronger public and private sector participation? Could you share with us an idea that anybody in this room could take home and say, let's do this?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Excellency, distinguished delegates, I would like to thank the government of Mongolia and the UNCCD for organizing this excellent side event. We meet under the theme of water. I want to make 1. Sam and that's the store is very often. A water story that has already ended. When the link is drawn down when a is exposed. When the regulated soil are depleted and abundant. The land does not say. where it is, it enters the atmosphere. As you know, one quarter of all sand and dust storm sources are attributed to human land use and the majority of those are emerging hydrological sources created by unsustainable water use and management. That means the most human-made dust sources on Earth, the ones that we can actually reserve are made by water decisions. allocation, abstraction, drainage, irrigation efficiency, each is a dust decision. Taking years before the storm arrives. The RRC, for example, and Lake Chad are the example we are only. There is rarely an arid basin without a smaller version of the same story. Allow me three points. First, is a land and water issue, not only an atmospheric one. For four decades, we have become steadily better at seeing dust in the atmosphere. Monitoring and forecasting are the daily work for the center. They protect people, the forecasters, by giving the early warning. And they must continue, but they don't reduce the number of storms. Only source mitigation does that. The Kingdom showed this story from its own basin. We took water decision to past decades, whose consequences we have spent years correcting. Though drip irrigations, treated water, wastewater reuse, and retirement of unsustainable abstraction, we offer this experience not as a model, but as an evidence that correction is possible. The economics favor us, and we have not made the case forcefully enough. Sand and dust storm directly affects 151 parties to this convention. 77% of us, 2 billion tons of sand and dust storms enter the atmosphere every year. Against that, the investment needed to combat wind erosion is estimated at some $13.5 billion a year, returning $10 or more in avoided cost for every dollar. Few land interventions anywhere can match this ratio. And the industries that carry the cost of dust today, infrastructure, aviation, energy, insurance, health systems are natural constituencies for this investment. What this calls for is blended finance, and genuine partnership, not public budget alone. The UN decade on combating sand dust storm should give us the modalities to bring that capital in. Third, shared basin are shared opportunity. Dust does not respect political borders, and neither do the degraded landscape and river system that generated. where source areas straddle boundaries, joint restoration offers sometimes something rare, a concrete political neutral entry point for cooperation. In basin where other convergences are difficult, coordinated water government may be the position that succeed. Though the Saudi Arabia initiatives, the Green Initiative and the Middle East Initiative launched in 2021, the Kingdom has committed to large scale restoration and to the sustainable management of our dry land ecosystem. The Regional Center for Sand and Dust Storms support countries across our region. And at COP16 in Riyadh, less than two years ago, we launched the International Early Warning Initiative for Sand and Dust Storms within million dollars over the next five years through the WMO trust fund. Our experience is that the technical solution are not the constraint. Vegetation cover, surface roughness, soil stability, sustainable water management, these are proven interventions. The challenge is the scale, not proof of concept. So we ask one thing of parties. That source mitigation and the early warning stand together in the operative text. That we treat the water decision and the dust storm as a single question they are. We can not forecast our way out of this. Every restored wetland, every rehabilitated river basin, Every farm that adopt efficient irrigation is a store that will never fall. On this water day, let us make those decisions with the urgency they deserve. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Dr. Alkatani. And we will just excuse from the Republic of South Korea, Mr. Lee Kwangho, who has another session to attend. No, thank you very much for your intervention. Okay, we are going to turn now to the hosts of COP 20 or 31 rather, as COP heads to Antalya in Turkey. And Professor Aydogdu, I am going to come to you, please. And I'd love to know what lessons other countries can draw from its integrated approach to land and water, the lessons that you've had in Turkey and how could that experience be scaled through GISDS? Professor Aydogdu, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Madam Burak. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen and distinguished speakers. It's a great pleasure to be with you today. And I would like to thank the Mongolia government and the organizers, all partners for this important event. For Turkey, addressing sand and dust storm is not only about managing their impacts when they occur. It's also about understanding and addressing at their source and underlying drivers that contribute their formation and intensification. In other words, we must monitor sand and dust storms in the atmosphere, but we must also address many of their underlying causes on the ground at their source. Turkey considers land restoration an integral part of its policies to combat desertification and drought. The 20 2024 and 2030 national strategy and action plan to combat desertification is one of the key instruments supporting this approach at same time Turkey is integrating the concept of land degradation neutrality into its national policies It means we should see it as an integrated process that strengthens the resilience of soil, water, vegetation and ecosystem together. The second important lesson is the value of science-based monitoring and decision support systems. In Turkey, a range of systems and models are used to monitor desertification, sensitivity, erosion, wind erosion, and the changes in land cover and land use. The purpose is not only to produce data, but to identify priority areas, better target intervention, and provide a scientific basis for decision makers. Distinguished delegates, as we all know that we cannot effectively manage what we do not measure. But measuring alone is not enough unless we can transform data into decision and action. For this reason, we believe that strong monitoring infrastructure must be supported by institutional coordination and early warning mechanisms. The third important lessons is therefore coordination and multi-sectorial cooperation. In Turkey, SDGs are not considered solely as an environmental issue. They are multidimensional challenge affecting sectors related to life, welfare and other things. And our objective is should not be copying one country's experience and apply it exactly to another country. Every country has different ecological, climate, social and economic conditions. But we can share our experience, develop scientific approaches together and adapt successful practices to local conditions. Turkey's experience can contribute in three areas. First, science and monitoring. We need to strengthen joint scientific research and data sharing mechanisms to better identify source areas, monitor changes in land and ecosystems, and improve our understanding of the relationship between drivers and impacts. Second, source mitigation and land restoration. Sustainable land and water managements are essential in this part. Land restoration and ecosystem resilience should be integrated with efforts. Third, capacity building and cooperation. Turkey has contributing knowledge and experience sharing through initiatives such as Ankara started and together with the disciplines. To conclude summarizing Turkey's approach in three messages. First, to address SDS at their source, we must manage land and water together through integrated approach. Second, we must use scientific monitoring and early warning systems not only to generate information but also guide decision and concrete action. Third, in response to challenge that no snow border, we must connect national experience to a strong regional and global cooperation. Well, Sand and dust storms are shared challenge and we believe that our response must also be beyond shared science, shared responsibility, shared action. We have to come from monitoring to intelligence. We have to come from early warning to early action. And we have to come from fragmented datas and institutions to combine them in an integrated way. I thank you.

I think my my ohh there we go. Professor I don't do thank you very much indeed. OK to Kazakhstan and sand and dust storms as we've heard that they don't respect borders. So how can stronger regional cooperation but also sustainable Land Management help Mr. Demirzhanov? particularly when it comes to regional cooperation in Central Asian countries, reducing those shared dust emissions, but also scaling successful solutions. Please share your experience and reflections with us. You have three and a half minutes. The floor is yours. Thank you. And can I just ask for quiet, please? The sound is hitting the ceiling and bouncing back to the front of the stage. So silence, please. We are nearly done. Thank you.

Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. Russian speak Russian translate please. Atiminy Republic Kazakhstan.

On behalf of Kazakhstan government, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the organizations for holding this event today. We already talked about that this degradation of land is not just a problem of one country. is the problem of all the country. We know that Kazakhstan today ranks ninth of the rating that has the desert today. Deserts on the Caspian Sea, see today's event to plant millions. In terms of systemic approaches, as you know, in our country, we have our land code as a law foundation to provide the foundation for us to take actions and also have cooperation with other regions and countries to cope with this global issue. And on the sewing, we also have a budget for a series of budget to have a lot of events and cooperation in the next three years. Our government has relocated around 40 million US dollars to provide financing for these events. In addition, in July of this year, our country adopted an industries politics and law on soil protection aimed at preserving the restoration of soil and the development of land monitoring scientifically based approaches as well as Other rules, as you know, in April this year, we also held a regional environmental summit in Kazakhstan, bringing together representatives of government agencies, international organizations, scientific and expert communities. Its result confirmed the important joint work on the protection of adaptation lands. Why was the development of the economy adopted following rules and laws? Because these rules is aimed at uniting the efforts of countries of the region to restore degraded lands, develop protective, to protect the resilience of agricultural settlements and their infrastructures. We invited the countries of our region and international organizations and financial institutions and partners to share and combine efforts to implement practical projects within the framework of the initiative of Central Asia, not just organizations from Central Asia, but also other regions.

The end of our session and before we break both for snacks and refreshments at the back of the room, I want to turn to the FAO Director of Land and Water Division. Let's discuss the opportunities that are available, Mr. Li Fengli. So when it comes to scaling proven source mitigation solutions, I wonder if you can share with us some examples that your initiative could help in delivering that. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam. Excellencies and dear colleagues, it's great pleasure for me to join this very important discussion on combating dust and sandstorms. I want to start by explain why this is important for FAO to be involved. And indeed, as many speakers already highlighted, that sand and dust storm issues, it's not only an environmental phenomenon. And indeed, they directly affect human health, as well as affect agricultural production and our food security. Globally, we're talking about the two billion tons of topsoils goes to the air every year. which costs billions of dollars in economic losses every year. And in this country, Mongolia alone, livestock loss caused by the sand and dust storm event in 2021, as a single event, caused the economic loss above 69 million US dollars. So for FAO, the message is very clear. Agriculture is both highly, highly affected by sand and dust storms, but also it's part of the solutions. And what's the parties can do? I think we already heard a lot about the what's the good practice from the parties in terms of, you know, you know, strengthening the readiness and the preparedness for the sand that the dust storms by advancing early warning systems, forecasting and monitoring and improve. the source management by investing in sustainable land, water management, soil management, by managing the impact and building the resilience. It's a very last but not least, it's a collaboration across all the borders. So what I feel has contributed to this, I feel the chair of the UN coalition on sand dust storms from 2020 to 2024 and continue being an active member. And we have focusing on translating our knowledge on sand dust storms into practical solutions. And we develop the guidance to mitigate adaptation guidance to mitigation, adaptation policy and the risk management and measures in agriculture and including the database of more than 150 good practice for mitigating the source. And many of those examples that really come from the countries such as the Central Asian countries and also West Asian countries. We also developed a risk assessment and contingency planning approach that's applied in countries including Mongolia, including Islamic Republic of Iran. Also at the policy and coordination level, we could develop with the UNCCD and the parties the guideline on integration of SDG management into key policy areas. So if we're looking ahead, we at FAO are fully committed to support countries in the four areas. Strengthening the linkages between SDSS monitoring and forecasting and practical solutions on lands and agriculture, assessing the source and impact, and also advancing the early warning and the conditioning planning, promoting sustainable land, soil, water management, and really support the land and soil restoration. It's very important to help the countries to mobilize resources and scaling up those solutions. So the global implementation in each initiative of SDS together with the UN decade on combating SDS provide important opportunities for us to scale up these solutions, these efforts. So we look forward to working with all the parties, the secretariats and also the coalition to move from the early warning to concrete actions on the ground and from the knowledge to the impacts. So together we can reduce the risks build the resilience and really protect agriculture productivity and livelihoods and strengthen the food security and the resilience. Thank you.

Director Li-Feng Li, thank you very much indeed for that. 150 examples, imagine the stories that we could have access to. And thank you to all of my panel today. It's been a pleasure to hear your shared experiences. Thank you very much indeed. I'll ask you to join the floor. No need to rush We have refreshments and nibbles at the back of the room. But to bring our session to a close, please, I'd like to invite the program manager of the UNCCD, Wu Chang Kang, to formally close our session. Thank you very much, Wu Chang. I'll let you grab a microphone there. The floor is yours.

Thank you so much, Raghessa. Well, thank you so much, first of all, coming and joining this interesting session. I would dare not to summarize entire conversation.

Let's swap.

Thank you. So I have to admit that the conversation was rich in contents and substantial in commitment wise. So I really enjoyed the conversation. I hope you also enjoyed the conversation. So without further, I like to, you know. by closing my closing remarks by thanking everyone starting from the host government Mongolia and the our DSG ESCAP ES and UNEP ED also I like thank to the our speakers and panelists she was fantastic I enjoyed a lot and then I also thanks to our strategic partners, including UN coalition members and the volunteers there, technical supports out there, and particularly I would like to thank the Babammar, the great...

The voice, let's just call him the voice.

Indeed, indeed.

So, but lastly but not least, our wonderful moderator, Binta Kain. Yes, sir. Thank you so much.

It's been a pleasure and thank you for staying with us through the session. My lovely audience, thank you. Please tuck in at the back of the room. Thank you.