The present report, submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 77/171 on combating sand and dust storms, provides details on developments within the United Nations system since the issuance of the previous report of the SecretaryGeneral on the subject (A/77/216) and covers the period from mid-2022 to mid-2023.

The report highlights activities and initiatives undertaken by United Nations system entities, Member States and a range of stakeholders, and underscores achievements made during the reporting period in the following four principal areas: cross-cutting activities; monitoring, prediction and early warning; impact mitigation, vulnerability and resilience; and source mitigation.

Sand and dust storms continue to pose a transboundary hazard to livelihoods and multiple socioeconomic sectors, threatening the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and associated targets. During the period under review, the General Assembly proclaimed 12 July the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, establishing a powerful platform to raise awareness of this global issue.

The United Nations Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms continues its efforts to move from the planning to the implementation stage, a process that would be accelerated with increased financial and human resources. The interregional project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, focusing o n sand and dust storms in agriculture, has reached its conclusion. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific has begun work on the Regional Plan of Action on Sand and Dust Storms in Asia and the Pacific. The secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, has launched its toolbox for sand and dust storms. T

he World Meteorological Organization has continued the further development, extension and implementation of its Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System. The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia is collaborating with other United Nations bodies on combating sand and dust storms through a series of joint assessment, capacitybuilding and interregional dialogue activities. The World Health Organization organized a regional consultation in the eastern Mediterranean to help countries to understand and minimize the health impacts of the natural air pollution caused by dust. The United Nations Environment Programme has contributed a resident expert to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries regional node of the Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System.