Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) are an increasingly important transboundary issue, with numerous impacts on the human health, food security, agriculture, transportation, energy and the environment, affecting 151 countries worldwide.

The growing need for global and regional cooperation between countries to manage and mitigate the effects of SDS and the transboundary hazards they represent has led to the proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly of the 12th July as the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms.

By this resolution, the Assembly also invited all Member States and other relevant stakeholders “to observe that International Day in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national priorities, through education and activities aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of combating such storms for human health and well-being; the promotion of sustainable land use and management; enhancing food security and resilience to climate change; and sustainable livelihoods.”

This represents a significant step to enhance awareness of SDS and mobilize the political will and resources needed to address SDS related issues which present a serious challenge to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and associated targets.
SDS and climate change

Climate change, including changes in temperature and precipitation levels, is modifying SDS hazard levels and increasing associated risks.

The hazards posed by SDS and climate change particularly affect people who depend directly on natural resource for their livelihoods, practicing rainfed agriculture, pastoral farming and dryland forestry. Their vulnerability to the ever changing climate that characterize drylands seems to increase because of enhanced climate variability and extreme events, such as flood, drought, salinity that are likely to become more frequent, more widespread and/or more intense with climate change during the twenty-first century.
The United Nations Coalition on Combating SDS

Through the United Nations Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, 19 UN agencies and non-UN organizations join efforts to foster global action against SDS. This coalition, established in September 2019 and chaired by FAO, work on the following priority areas: identifying and analyzing SDS source areas; assisting countries in developing policy plans; implementing effective practices for source and impact mitigation; facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity enhancement and; identifying vulnerable locations and populations.
In many instances, SDS source and impact regions are separated by great distances, often across international boundaries. In several recent General Assembly resolutions entitled “Combating sand and dust storms” (A/RES/70/195, A/RES/71/219, A/RES/72/225, A/RES/73/237, A/RES/74/226, A/RES/75/222 and A/RES/76/211), the UN has expressed considerable concern about the growing threat of SDS, warning that SDS may undermine the achievement of the SDGs in developing and developed countries.

In response to these UN resolutions, the UNCCD COP14 held in September 2019 in India, established a new key milestone: UNCCD Parties officially launched the UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, committing the UN System to a proactive approach to combat SDS, and to enhance cooperation and coordination on SDS at global, regional and sub-regional levels.

The mandate of the UN Coalition on Combating SDS as defined by the participating entities is as follows:

Promote and coordinate a collaborative UN-system response to SDS;
Facilitate exchange of knowledge, data and best practices among Coalition members to promote effective and coherent actions on SDS across the UN system and beyond;
Encourage and promote collaboration on initiatives and actions among members of the Coalition, including advocacy and funding initiatives;
Facilitate dialogue and collaboration amongst affected countries and the UN system in addressing SDS issues collectively;
Facilitate the capacity building of Member States, raise their awareness and enhance their preparedness and response to SDS in critical regions.

The transboundary nature of SDS requires unified and coherent action. The priority of the Coalition is to directly support SDS-affected countries and foster regional and inter-regional collaboration between countries and sectors while enhancing visibility and raising awareness of SDS. These activities will catalyse global and regional actions that will support countries in facing the challenge of SDS and reduce their impact on health, the environment, agriculture and other economic activities.

The key is to facilitate sharing of knowledge and information, and to understand the sources and impacts, within and across effected sectors, to implement innovations to counter SDS. These actions are in alignment with achieving food security and natural resources management, and will ultimately contribute to achieving the SDGs.

The key partners in The UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, which is currently chaired by FAO are:

International Civil Aviation Organization
International Telecommunication Union
International Union for Conservation of Nature
UN Convention to Combat Desertification
UN Development Programme
UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
UN Economic and Social Commission for West Asia
UN Economic Commission for Europe
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UN Environment Programme
UN Food and Agriculture Organization
UN Institute for Training and Research
UN-Habitat
World Bank
World Health Organization
World Meteorological Organization

More information about the United Nations Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms is available here.

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