UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (APP):United Nations General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak has said that the detrimental effect of sand and dust storms were hindering progress towards U.N.'s 2030 development agenda and urged actions to combat them. In his opening remarks to a General Assembly meeting on sand and dust storms on Monday, Lajcak said such storms present a risk to people's health and livelihoods, make economies suffer, and affect the …
Sand, dust storms thwart progress on 2030 development agenda: UNGA president
UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (APP):United Nations General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak has said that the detrimental effect of sand and dust storms were hindering progress towards U.N.’s 2030 development agenda and urged actions to combat them.
In his opening remarks to a General Assembly meeting on sand and dust storms on Monday, Lajcak said such storms present a risk to people’s health and livelihoods, make economies suffer, and affect the environment.
“All of these factors, in turn, hinder our progress towards the 2030 Agenda,” he added.
Currently, progress towards the 2030 Agenda is being reviewed at an ongoing high-level political forum held at the UN headquarters. The UN adopted the agenda comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015 with a view to eradicate poverty, end hunger and enhance health, among other visions.
“One sand or dust storm can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The losses are really felt in the agriculture, transportation and infrastructure sectors. These are resources that could have been channeled towards sustainable development at a time when we need to mobilize more for the 2030 Agenda,” Lajcak said.
Therefore, the UNGA president called for holistic, coordinated and urgent actions to combat sand and dust storms among member states, stressing “today, we have the opportunity to fill our knowledge gaps, to share solutions with one another, and to see the linkages between global agendas and national policies.”
“For the last three years, the General Assembly has pledged to take action on sand and dust storms. But we cannot do this alone,” Lajcak, calling for “more Member States to work in tandem with the Rio Conventions, on climate change, biodiversity, and importantly, combatting desertification” and address the issue in a durable and lasting fashion.
Monday’s dialogue is a continuation of the discussions during the International Conference on Combatting Sand and Dust Storms held in Tehran last July.
