2025- 2034 to be decade to combat sand storms from Africa to China: UN

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday declared 2025 to 2034 the United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms extreme weather events that are increasing and threatening health and economies from central Africa to northern China.

Uganda's UN Ambassador Godfrey Kwoba, who introduced the resolution on behalf of the Group of 77, a powerful UN group of 134 developing countries and China, told the 193-member assembly the initiative aims to halt and mitigate the negative effects of sand and dust storms through international and regional cooperation.

The assembly adopted the resolution by consensus and a bang of the gavel by assembly president Dennis Francis.

In a 2022 report, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification said sand and dust storms have increased dramatically in frequency in recent years.

It said storms can exacerbate respiratory illnesses, kill crops and livestock, and increase desertification, though documentation of their impact is limited.

The ...