Zahra Asghari – International relations researcher

Dust is an emerging phenomenon that is a souvenir of industrial development, excessive use of water resources, and the aggravation of drought, climate change, and low rainfall that has affected many countries, including Iran, at least in the last decade. Of course, this phenomenon is more intense in West Asian countries than in other countries; Therefore, it has created many problems for this region. Surveys show about 330 million hectares of dust sources in West Asia and Central Asia, some of which are related to low-intensity centers and some to high-intensity centers. In the meantime, about 270 million hectares of these centers are high-intensity dust centers that generate about 147 million tons of dust annually. These particles are below 10 microns and are very effective in endangering people’s health.

In recent years, due to Iran’s increasing problems in this regard, especially with its western and southern neighbors, including Iraq, it took many measures to deal with dust, but because the neighboring countries did not cooperate as they should have. And maybe even this issue was not their priority. Therefore, Iran moved towards developing environmental diplomacy with the world’s countries to share its concerns and the need to find a solution to overcome the dust crisis.

After holding the regional meeting on dust in 1401 (2022) in Iran, the United Nations chose Tehran to host the international meeting on dealing with sand and dust storms. This meeting was held in Tehran in September 2023, with the presence of representatives from 50 countries and 15 international organizations, experts, university professors, and representatives of executive, research, and educational institutions.

It should be noted that Iran’s efforts to deal with the dust phenomenon began in the late 90s. In 1397 (2018) and 1398 (2019), a National Headquarters was formed for this purpose. In the first step, it took action to identify the internal and external sources of dust. In the second step, internal and external operational plans were put on the agenda, which determined the dust damage.

Also, upon a proposal by the Islamic Republic of Iran, July 12 of every year was designated as the International Day for Combating Sand and Dust Storms. It was approved by the United Nations General Assembly. After that, Iran took many actions and consultations in dust diplomacy and countermeasures. Specifically, this issue was followed by the Department of Environment, and the management made many trips of his organization to Iraq, Syria, Qatar, UAE, and Kuwait. These extensive measures led to the regional dust conference held in July 2022 with the participation of 11 countries and six international institutions. In the final statement, the regional action plans, which were the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were presented.

One of the most important measures taken was the creation of a regional fund regarding the dust phenomenon at the proposal of the late president of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi. After the conference and the final statement, this proposal was sent to the United Nations.

For the second year in a row, on Sept. 9, 2023, the international summit on dealing with sand and dust storms, attended by representatives from 50 countries, was held in Iran. Good results were achieved regarding the world’s view of the dust phenomenon. In fact, the whole world concluded that dust is a global phenomenon, and all countries must deal with it together, while Iran was recognized as a reference for this issue.

Also, in the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, which was held in Nairobi from Feb. 26 – March 1, 2024, a resolution to deal with dust was approved at the suggestion of Iran, which can be an example of Iran’s effort to draw the attention of the world community to the importance of this common challenge. Based on this resolution, other countries and international bodies were obliged to do their homework on the issue of dust.

In the resolution, member countries and regional development banks were urged to use financial resources in regional and subregional plans and projects to deal with sand and dust storms. Member countries were also invited to create the necessary capacities in research, modeling, and early warning systems to minimize the effects of sand and dust storms on ecosystems and people’s livelihoods.

In addition, emphasis on participation in implementing action plans at the regional and subregional levels was another provision of this resolution, and the member countries were invited to develop research, technical and scientific cooperation between the existing regional centers rather than set up a center to boost preparation for implementing the mentioned action plans.

The Executive Director of UNEP was also requested to organize a training workshop on the technical review of sand and dust storms and their adverse effects on the surface regional and sub-regional, with the participation of member states, members of specialized agencies of the United Nations, technical and financial institutions, and other relevant stakeholders in UNEA.

In the same framework, the second commemoration ceremony of the Day of Combating Dust Storms, hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, was held on Friday, July 22, at the United Nations. In this ceremony, which was held with representatives of different countries, environmental experts, and various United Nations institutions, the speakers investigated and analyzed the multiple dimensions of dust storms and discussed the effects of these phenomena on the environment, agriculture, and public health. They gave. While enumerating the damages caused by dust storms from various economic, social, and environmental dimensions, the participants emphasized the necessity of regional and international cooperation.

One of the main axes of this meeting was to investigate new methods to predict and reduce the destructive effects of dust storms. In this regard, the representatives of different countries presented their experiences and achievements in dust storm reduction projects. Also, the resolutions of the United Nations regarding the fight against dust storms were reviewed, and their more effective implementation was emphasized. The delegates emphasized the importance of public education and increasing people’s awareness about the dangers caused by dust storms and their prevention methods.

The fact is that about two billion tons of dust enter the atmosphere every year, which affects more than 150 countries on all continents and is a threat to achieving 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and related goals. In addition, the economic losses caused by a sand and dust storm can reach millions of dollars. Also, climate change includes changes in temperature and precipitation levels, reduction of vegetation cover, and the level of sand and dust storm hazards. It increases related risks in some areas. Those dependent on agriculture in arid regions will experience more frequent, widespread, and intense sand and dust storm events.

The annual commemoration of the International Day against Sand and Dust Storms is an effort to increase public awareness about the importance of combating sand and dust storms to promote human health, improve sustainable use and management of land, increase food security and resistance to climate change, and promote livelihood,

On the other hand, regional cooperation in solving the problem of sand and dust storms and their effects is necessary based on the fact that these storms are multinational.