Sandstorms: UAE for regional action

Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water termed dust and sand storms as a “collective regional

responsibility” and said all stakeholders should come together to address this environmental challenge.

The UAE minister was speaking at the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) flagship Sand and Dust Storms project, a regional initiative targeting Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Syria.

It was the top issue discussed during a ministerial meeting at UNEP’s First Universal Session of the Governing Council held in Nairobi, Kenya.

During the meeting, Dr Bin Fahd invited the parties to the project to agree on the steps that should be taken in the near future.

People stuck in a dust storm on a windy day at Al Qusais, Dubai — KT file photo

Participants debated the objectives of the project, which was established by the UNEP to reduce the impact of sand and dust storms in the region, which have escalated at a blistering pace, paralysing daily life and businesses and leading to significant health problems.

The project aims at enhancing joint efforts in the region to combat sand and dust storms by establishing a network of experts and scientists to define the mechanisms of implementation of the project and limit the human, social and economic impacts.

The meeting was attended by UN Undersecretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq Martin Kobler and ministers and representatives from the UAE, Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Turkey.

Directors from UNEP divisions and regional offices in West Asia, Europe, as well as Asia and the Pacific also attended the meeting.

Sand and dust storms are a transcontinental phenomena that require regional cooperation to combat them. —