#Sandandduststorms #SDS #UNCCD #CAREC #DroughtandSDS #CentralAsia
On October 22, an online meeting took place within National part of the Component 2 of the UNCCD-funded “Regional approaches to combating sand and dust storms and drought” project coordinated by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) and executed by the American University of Central Asia, to discuss the draft of the National Action Plan for reducing the risk of sand and dust storms (SDS) in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Janybek Kerimaliev, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic and UNCCD National Focal Point, opened the meeting by remarking that despite the Covid-19 pandemic and political unrest in the country, the work on compiling the National Action Plan for reducing the risk of sand and dust storms (SDS) in the Kyrgyz Republic has been going well, which is evident as participants of the meeting were prepared to discuss the draft of the action plan.
Having presented the draft plan, experts moved on to discuss how to improve the document. During the discussion, the experts addressed some crucial questions. When asked about the sources of SDS in Kyrgyzstan, the experts noted that these hazards often occur in neighbouring countries and then are carried over to the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic. Researchers and locals often notice them in a number of locations across the country, notably the western part of the Issyk-Kul region.
Participants of the meeting, which was attended by the representatives of relevant government bodies and academics, agreed to collaborate on monitoring SDS in Kyrgyzstan and developing an early warning system, which should become an integral part of the national platform for mitigating hazardous events, currently being developed by the Ministry of Emergencies.
The parties agreed to continue collaborating on developing the National Action Plan. A joint effort by all the stakeholders, including experts, government officials, academics and local councils, will reflect the priorities of the Kyrgyz Republic and its people and help the country enhance its preparedness and resilience to SDS. At the same time, it would assist Central Asia in reducing the risk of SDS and mitigating their impact.
Information about the Project:
In January 2020, in all five countries of Central Asia with the financial support of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) the project “Regional approaches in combating sand and dust storms and drought” was launched. The project is implemented by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), which works in close cooperation with designated national institutions and UNCCD National Focal Points in each of five countries.
The main objective of the project is to assist Member States in improving their preparedness and resilience to droughts and FDP, and to enable coordinated action and data exchange at national and regional levels.
You can learn more about the Project and its activities here: