Following is the text of the Declaration of the conference released on September 10.

Appreciating the support and participation of various United Nations agencies in the conference,

Recalling the UNGA Resolutions 70/195, 71/219, 72/225, 73/237, 74/226, 75/222, 76/211, 77/171 and 77/294 and UNEA II Resolution 2/21 and 4/10 and WMO Congress Decision Cg-XV/3.3.3.6, and UNESCAP Resolution 72/7, in which Sand and Dust Storms has been acknowledged to be posing a daunting challenge to the sustainable development of affected countries,

Noting the outcomes of meetings and conferences on SDSs held over the last two decades including the “International Conference on Sand and Dust Storms” (July 2017), and the ‘Regional Ministerial Meeting on Environmental Cooperation for a Better Future” (July 2022) in Tehran,

Welcoming with the appreciation of various ongoing initiatives by countries and regional and international entities/organizations, including the UNDESA, UNCCD, UNEP, UNESCAP, FAO, WMO, WHO, UNDP, UN-HABITAT, IOM, and UNDRR to combat sand and dust storms,

Emphasizing that climate change is an important contributor to the occurrence of more extreme weather events especially intensity, frequency, and risk of sand and dust storms,

Welcoming activities of the UN Coalition on Combatting Sand Dust Storms to promote and coordinate a collaborative UN system response to the growing issues of SDSs, ensuring unified and coherent actions including advocacy and funding initiatives,

Recognizing the transboundary nature and negative impacts of Sand and Dust Storms on many countries and regions including those that are far away from their hot spots, and acknowledging that Sand and Dust Storms, which are on the rise in terms of severity and frequency in many parts of the world, are detrimental to human health, agricultural land, livelihoods, aquatic and terrestrial environment, biodiversity loss, infrastructure, and the socio-economic systems, in all affected countries,

Further recognizing that the challenge of Sand and Dust Storms requires concerted and collaborative global, regional, and sub-regional as well as national responses to address this phenomenon and underlining the leading role of the United Nations system in promoting international cooperation and partnerships among countries and relevant stakeholders to combat Sand and Dust Storms,

Acknowledging that adequate access of developing countries, as appropriate, to funding, know-how, and technology is required for building necessary capacities at the national and regional levels

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to adapt to and mitigate the negative impacts of sand and dust storms and recognize the need to enhance the resilience of affected countries.

Declared herewith to:

1. enhance cooperation on mitigating, controlling, and combating Sand and Dust Storms at transboundary, regional and sub-regional, and international levels;

2. exchange and share information and views, knowledge and experiences, best practices and lessons learned, including mitigation of the source, adaptation, and management of the impact, data collection and analysis, and transfer of the most efficient techniques and technologies in combating sand and dust storms;

3. Strengthen scientific and research activities, exchange of data and information, and sharing experiences among academia and early warning centers for effective monitoring, impact-based assessment, and forecasting of Sand and Dust Storms to foster disaster prevention and mitigation through the development of appropriate preparedness and effective response to Sand and dust storms;

4. Build stronger actions through preventive measures and carrying out, and promotion of national, regional, interregional, global, and transboundary cooperation, as well as expansion of plant and forest cover of affected and fragile lands, and forest restoration programs at all levels;

5. Stress the need that combating SDSs should also become an integral part of the Climate Change mitigation and adaptation strategies, and land degradation and eligible for technical and financial support;

6. Further Strengthen national legal and institutional frameworks to share information on Sand and Dust Storms and to raise awareness among the public and policymakers, promote integrated and synergistic actions across various sectors, and foster strengthened cooperation among relevant institutions;

7. Enhance public awareness of the impacts including the cost of Sand and Dust Storms on human health, agriculture, food security, infrastructure, forest, education, transport, energy, and in general socio-economic sectors and the environment and partnerships among relevant stakeholders on mitigation of those impacts;

8. Develop a strategy for global and regional cooperation to address the root causes, risks, and impacts of Sand and Dust Storms and to enhance resilience through sustainable management of natural resources in croplands, rangelands, bare lands, and international/transboundary wetlands and lakes, biosphere reserves as well as rural and urban areas prone to Sand and Dust Storms risks and impacts;

9. Continue dialogue on responding to the issues of Sand and Dust Storms among interested and affected countries in partnership with relevant international bodies and organizations and emphasize organizing similar and regular events, and initiatives also with facilitation, contribution, and support by the United Nations system;

10. Formulate, review, update, and implement global, regional, sub-regional, and national action plans to address sand and dust storms with the support and participation of multilateral funding institutions and the UN system to further assist affected countries in different areas of work, including funding sub-regional and regional projects, and action plans;

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11. Take note of the regional plan of action on sand and dust storms in Asia and the Pacific, (ESCAP/78/12/Add.1) as a strategic framework and reference for countries in other regions including African Region, and the ECO Regional Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (ECORFDRR) and its roadmap adopted during the 8th ECO Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2021;

12. Support the establishment of a regional trust fund for West Asia to combat sand and dust storms in line with the Tehran Ministerial Declaration of 2022 which will be supported by voluntary contributions of interested countries, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, major groups, and other donors, private sectors, civil society, and Regional Development Banks, as appropriate, for undertaking the implementation of regional and sub-regional programs and action plans;

13. Underscore the importance of mobilizing technical and financial support from all possible resources, including the relevant United Nations organizations and programs as well as the multilateral funds established under the multilateral environmental agreements such as GEF, GCF, Adaptation Fund, Special Climate Change Fund, LDC Fund, Global Fund, Land Degradation Neutrality Fund – UNCCD and Multilateral Development Banks to assist the developing countries in their efforts to mitigate and cope with the adverse effects of Sand and Dust Storms;

14. Support the establishment, as appropriate, of regional centers/committees/working groups together with a network among affected and interested countries to combat sand and dust storms through capacity building, technical support, and preparation and implementation of regional and sub-regional action plans and projects;

15. Further support the UN coalition with a view to ensuring adequate allocated financial resources for the effective follow-up of decisions on SDSs and support the affected countries in combating SDS;

16. Invite the UN Secretary-General, in line with the GA Resolution A/RES/77/171 to further encourage the United Nations Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms on the need to implement activities as identified by the Coalition’s five working groups, which are knowledge sharing, capacity-building, training, awareness-raising and support for the formulation of national, regional and sub-regional action plans, to mitigate and manage sand and dust storm hazards, and to invite resource partners from the UN and non-UN systems to enhance resource mobilization so as to increase voluntary contributions to the Coalition and its member agencies and strengthening its role to support affected countries specially through implementing regional and sub-regional action plans;

17. Take note of a proposal to establish a regional center/committee/working group for technical cooperation in order to prepare a regional action plan in concerned countries;

18. Also take note of a proposal to work out a convention aimed at adaptation to, mitigating, controlling, and combating sand and dust storms in collaboration with the affected nations and other countries;

19. Invite the Islamic Republic of Iran to transmit this declaration to the UNGA and UN ECOSOC for their consideration and appropriate actions;

20. Express our deepest gratitude to the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting this International Conference as well as the excellent arrangements and the warm hospitality extended to the participants in this respect.

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In a meeting with ambassadors and representatives of the countries participating in the international conference on dealing with SDSs, Salajeqeh said letters of invitation have been sent to the environment ministers of nearly 55 countries that are directly affected by the dust phenomenon.

Climate change with all its dimensions and consequences has caused serious challenges to life on the earth. One of the consequences of climate change, which has increased in intensity and occurrence, is the phenomenon of SDSs with severe harm to the world’s biological and economic resources.

According to surveys, 150 countries are affected by SDSs, and most of these countries are located in Africa and Asia.

Two out of the seven main sources of dust production in the world are located in Asia, with the Great African Sahara being the first one.

The studies by the Islamic Republic of Iran show that the dust centers in West and Central Asia are more than 3.3 million square kilometers.

Considering the social, economic, health, and environmental effects and consequences of this phenomenon, it is necessary to adopt international, regional, and sub-regional solutions with the participation of all countries affected by this phenomenon and the international organizations’ support, to take more seriously actions to tackle this challenge.

To develop environmental diplomacy with all countries of the world, in the past 2 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran, on July 12, 2022, has taken action to hold the Tehran Regional Summit under the title of Environment for a Better Future with the main approach of solving the dust problem in the West and Central Asia.

The annual resolutions of the United Nations in the field of combating sand and dust storms, which have been approved by the General Assembly since 2015, clearly show the activities of the United Nations in the field of combating desertification and dust storms.

With the aim of attracting participation, cooperation, and international coordination based on the resolution number A77571 of the United Nations General Assembly in 2022, the Islamic Republic of Iran with the support of the United Nations will hold an international summit on dealing with dust storms on September 9 and 10 in Tehran.

The purpose of holding this meeting is to exchange opinions, consult, and share thoughts to synergize international and regional efforts, as well as discuss ways to strengthen regional and international participation and cooperation to deal with SDSs.

On the third day (September 11) of the summit, the Makran regional environmental conference will be held in Chabahar on a one-day basis.

The invited countries including India, China, Pakistan, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Bahrain are supposed to attend the event.

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On his trip to Baghdad, Ali-Mohammad Tahmasbi, the secretary of the national policymaking headquarters for dealing with sand and dust storms, met with Mithaq Abdul-Hussein Obaid, the technical undersecretary of Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture, agreed on jointly implementing the plans in the four Iraqi provinces of Dhi Qar, Al-Muthanna, Wasit, and Maysan, as well as the two Iranian provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan within the next two months.

The two sides also discussed different possible ways to deal with desertification, reduce the impacts of climate change, remove barriers to food security, and manage sand and dust storms, IRIB reported.

Tahmasbi emphasized the need to boost cooperation in this regard, announcing Iran’s readiness to study cases of desertification in border areas.

Obaid, for his part, said that solving the problem of sand and dust storms in the region requires the cooperation of West Asian countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, and Iran.

On Tuesday, August 1, a delegation led by the secretary of the national policymaking headquarters for dealing with sand and dust storms started a four-day visit to Iraq to follow up on previous agreements in this regard.

The visit aimed to implement the sub-regional action plan to deal with sand and dust storms, form a regional technical working group, and carry out joint projects to curb hotspots of sand and dust storm, IRNA reported.

Tahmasbi said bilateral and multilateral memorandums of understanding have been signed with Iraq, but unfortunately have not yet been implemented.

The SDS phenomenon has been plaguing the country for several years and has caused problems in many provinces.

According to studies, eight large sand and dust storm hotspots stretching to 270 million hectares in neighboring and Persian Gulf countries are affecting Iran.

Regional maps show that Saudi Arabia produces the highest level of particulate matter, followed by Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, and the UAE, respectively.

The Department of Environment will hold five international meetings in the current Iranian calendar year that started on March 21, DOE chief Ali Salajeqeh has said.

“At least five international meetings will be held this year, one of which is the conference on combating sand and dust storms,” he added, IRNA reported.

One of the approvals of the regional meeting of environment ministers, which was held in Iran last summer, was the establishment of a regional dust organization, he highlighted.

“Environmental diplomacy is the main priority for the country’s political diplomacy, so holding the conference on combating sand and dust storms is important for us.”

So far, 11 meetings of the national headquarters for policymaking and controlling dust storms have been held and the results of these meetings should be evaluated and made public, he stressed.

In the field of diplomacy, the Department of Environment has held meetings with neighboring countries to the extent that Egypt has also announced its readiness to attend the Tehran meeting, he highlighted.

He pointed out that a delegation from Iran will travel to Iraq in the near future to discuss the issue of sand and dust storms in order to make decisions to deal with the problem.

In July 2022, Tehran played host to a conference of ministers and officials from 11 countries, aiming to boost cooperation for resolving extant environmental problems, especially sand and dust storms.

Environment ministers of Iraq, Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Syria, and Qatar, as well as deputy ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan along with delegations from Turkey and Uzbekistan, participated in the event which was held with the theme of “Environmental Cooperation for a Better Future.”

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During the mentioned period, some 2.5 million hectares of land have been reforested in line with the measures to combat sand and dust storms, ISNA quoted Ali-Mohammad Tahmasbi, the secretary of the national headquarters for dealing with sand and dust storms, as saying on Saturday.

Referring to agreements signed between the Department of Environment and environmental authorities of the neighboring countries in recent months, he said that the issue of establishing a regional organization was put forward at a ministerial summit which was held in Tehran in July.

On July 12, Tehran played host to 11 countries, aiming to boost cooperation for resolving extant environmental problems, especially sand and dust storms. Iraq and Syria are of the highest importance due to the closeness of their sand and dust storm hubs to Iran, he said, adding that 90 percent of sand and dust storms with an external source come from Syria.

Over the past years, Iraq has always carried out activities to curb sources and sand and dust storms, but the country has not taken any joint measures with Iran so far.

On July 12, Tehran played host to a conference of ministers and officials from 11 countries, aiming to boost cooperation for resolving extant environmental problems, especially sand and dust storms.

Environment ministers of Iraq, Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Syria, and Qatar, as well as deputy ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan along with delegations from Turkey and Uzbekistan, participated in the event which was held with the theme of “Environmental Cooperation for a Better Future.”

Addressing the opening ceremony, President Ebrahim Raisi emphasized that the preservation of the environment is essential and an inevitable priority.

Raisi had earlier obliged the department of environment to diligently pursue the solution of sand and dust storms through diplomacy and international forums, as well as interaction with neighboring countries.

“Conservation of the ecosystem and environment, which is a global concern, especially for countries of the region, is an inevitable priority today. If the environment is not safe and peaceful for people, the development will not be in its proper place and it will even become a threat to human health,” Raisi stated.

UNDP Representative in Iran Claudio Providas has emphasized the need for cooperation with the country to address environmental challenges.

in a meeting in June with Department of Environment Chief Ali Salajeqeh in Tehran, he criticized the U.S. sanctions, announcing readiness for tackling environmental issues in Iran through the support of the United Nations Development Program.

“We strive to raise funds to strengthen support, and the second issue is to move from environmental protection to existing opportunities for investment and a knowledge-based economy, and we must focus on energy, environment, and agriculture, which play an important role in development,” he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he expressed readiness to cooperate in dealing with sand and dust storms, suggesting negotiations with Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

Effects of sand and dust storms

The SDSs phenomenon has been plaguing the country for several years and has caused problems in many provinces. According to experts, natural and human factors are involved in the occurrence and severity of this phenomenon which is mainly caused by excessive consumption of water and drying up reservoirs.

The internal dust sources are estimated at 34.6 million hectares, generating an average amount of 4.22 million tons of dust per year, about 1.460 million hectares are dried wetlands.

Some 4.23 million tons of dust are raised per year, which means the loss of soil fertility will hit the agricultural sector.

All the SDSs sources are not located in Iran, 300 million hectares in the neighboring countries are giving rise to SDSs, which transport dust into Iran. The total dust density is estimated at about 150 million tons.

In fact, the dust is raised from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the northeast as well as Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan in the south, southwest, and west.

Letizia Rossano, the director of the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM), said in June that Iran is really at forefront of understanding the problem of sand and dust storms as well as dealing with it.

More than 80 percent of the entire populations of Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the Islamic Republic of Iran are exposed to medium and high levels of poor air quality due to sand and dust storms,” she noted.

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During a meeting in Tehran on Thursday, Iran’s Department of Environment Chief, Ali Salajeqeh and Iraqi Minister of Environment Jasim Abdulazeez Humadi signed the MOU.

The issue of dust storms has caused serious problems for Iranian citizens so it must be overcome through regional participation, Salajeqeh noted.

There are different methods and various expert opinions in the containing dust hotspots. Therefore, the best methods should be selected and implemented with the exchange of opinions of expert panels, he emphasized.

In the past years, we used petroleum mulches to stabilize the soil on the grounds generating dust, which of course caused environmental damage, but in recent years, with the help of Iranian scientists and knowledge-based companies, several environmentally friendly mulches have been prepared, he explained.

He further announced readiness to take the first operational steps using the experiences of the member countries.

Humadi also for his part announced to support all the decisions made in the meeting because it creates a suitable platform for joint cooperation, highlighting that the regional meeting of environment ministers showed the high importance of environmental issues for senior Iranian officials.

Dust storms and the phenomenon of desertification have harmful effects on the health of the people of the region, but these problems can be controlled through mutual interaction and cooperation, he further stated.

On July 12, Tehran played host to a conference of ministers and officials from 11 countries, aiming to boost cooperation for resolving extant environmental problems, especially sand and dust storms.

Environment ministers of Iraq, Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Syria, and Qatar, as well as deputy ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan along with delegations from Turkey and Uzbekistan, participated in the event which was held with the theme of “Environmental Cooperation for a Better Future.”

President Ebrahim Raisi had earlier obliged the department of environment to diligently pursue the solution of sand and dust storms through diplomacy and international forums, as well as interaction with neighboring countries.

SDS effects

The SDSs phenomenon has been plaguing the country for several years and has caused problems in many provinces. According to experts, natural and human factors are involved in the occurrence and severity of this phenomenon which is mainly caused by excessive consumption of water and drying up reservoirs.

The internal dust sources are estimated at 34.6 million hectares, generating an average amount of 4.22 million tons of dust per year, about 1.460 million hectares are dried wetlands.

Some 4.23 million tons of dust are raised per year, which means the loss of soil fertility will hit the agricultural sector.

All the SDSs sources are not located in Iran, 300 million hectares in the neighboring countries are giving rise to SDSs, which transport dust into Iran. The total dust density is estimated at about 150 million tons.

In fact, the dust is raised from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the northeast as well as Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan in the south, southwest, and west.

Letizia Rossano, the director of the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM), said in June that Iran is really at forefront of understanding the problem of sand and dust storms as well as dealing with it.

More than 80 percent of the entire populations of Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the Islamic Republic of Iran are exposed to medium and high levels of poor air quality due to sand and dust storms,” she noted.

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The head of the Iranian Department of Environment Ali Salajegheh, who also acts as the vice president, has traveled to Iraq to consult with Iraqi officials about controlling dust storms, which have caused serious problems for the country especially this year.

According to the Iraq News Agency(INA), the two officials held a joint press conference after holding a meeting.

In the press conference, the Iraqi foreign minister said, “We talked to Iran about climate change, drought and desertification. Iraqi and Iranian delegations in Baghdad consulted on addressing the challenges of the climate phenomenon. We also discussed the water issue and its management between Iraq and Iran. Climate change is not specific to one country and it spills over across borders.”

Hussein added, ” There will meetings and sessions will between the two countries to discuss the issue of shared water and rivers.”

Ali Salajegheh, for his part, said, “We talked to the Iraqi side about various cases. Today’s meeting is a good beginning for cooperation in the case of dust storms. Iraq and Iran have experience in stabilizing sand dunes.”

The Iranian environmental official further said that the Iranian Minister of Energy will travel to Iraq to discuss the issue of dust storms.

Selajegheh arrived in Iraq on Saturday evening at the head of a technical and expert delegation from the Iranian Agriculture Ministry, Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, Ministry of Energy as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was welcomed by the Iraqi Minister of Environment.

According to the Public Relations office of the Iranian Department of Environment, the Iranian delegation trip aims to exchange views and reach a consensus with the Iraqi authorities on collective cooperation in the region to tackle the sand storms, paying visits to dust storms’ origins and review effective and immediate solutions to reduce the effects of the environmental issue.

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