Almaty, Kazakhstan, 21 October 2021 – A Final Conference on the results of the joint initiative to develop regional strategies for drought and sand and dust storm management in Central Asia took place today in Almaty. Guided by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretariat, the initiative was implemented in 2020-2021 in five Central Asian countries in close cooperation with the government of five countries. It was managed by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC).
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Today’s conference was held in a hybrid format and attended by the representatives of the UNCCD Secretariat, designated national institutions and CAREC, government representatives, experts, as well as regional and international partners. Participants of the event presented the project’s results and discussed avenues of further cooperation in ongoing and planned initiatives on drought and sand and dust storms (SDS). As reflected in the decision of the conference, Central Asian countries reiterated their commitment to tackling the issue of drought and SDS and called upon the international community to support the implementation of the Regional Strategy for Drought Management and Mitigation and the Regional Mid-Term Strategy for Sand and Dust Storm Management.
“The drought which hit the Central Asian region last summer caused massive losses of livestock and crops it affected local communities and took a toll on national economies. Just in two regions of Kazakhstan, more than 20 mln dollars have been allocated to partially compensate for this loss and increased forage prices. This summer, we also witnessed how new sources of sand and dust storms have emerged in the south of Russia and are now reaching Central Asia. The events of this year clearly demonstrate that both natural hazards jeopardize social and economic stability of the countries and the region,” said Tina Birmpili, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The need for data collection, sharing and regional integration were identified as the main priorities across the Project. the Regional Strategy for Drought Management and Mitigation and the Regional Mid-Term Strategy for Sand and Dust Storm Management. Both documents include assessments of the current situation as well as wide-ranging measures for 2021-2030 aimed at decreasing the risk of droughts and SDS in Central Asia and improving the region’s readiness for these hazards.
Five countries of Central Asia have joined a global initiative to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality, a status with no net loss of healthy and productive land.
“Exacerbated by desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD), droughts and SDS have a large-scale negative impact on different sectors of the economy and wide sections of the population, especially its vulnerable categories, such as women, children, elderly people, persons with disabilities, migrants and geographically isolated communities. The only way to slow down DLDD is to strive for Land Degradation Neutrality, which was an integral part of our project,” said Rustam Issakhojayev, Project Manager at “Regional Approaches in Sand and Dust Storm and Drought Management.”
According to UNCCD estimates, forty per cent of the world’s population suffer from freshwater shortages. The risk of droughts for Central Asia’s security is particularly acute because of the region’s dependence on agriculture and shared water resources. Agriculture accounts for 10-38% of GDP and provides 18-65% of employment in the countries of the region. About 58 % of the region’s population lives in rural areas.
As far as sand and dust storms are concerned, research by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests that global dust emissions have increased by 25–50 per cent since 1900 as a result of land use and climate change. In Central Asia, the new Aralkum desert, formed on the dried-out bed of the Aral Sea, has become a major source of dust. Frequent storms carry some 43 million tons of dust and sand from Aralkum annually.
Considering the transnational nature of droughts, SDS and climate change, regional cooperation is the only way of reducing the risk of natural hazards and mitigating their impacts. The need for regional cooperation is even more pressing considering the importance of shared water resources for Central Asia. As of today, there are no existing regional strategies or agreements on climate change mitigation and adaptation in Central Asia. Delaying coordinated action will further increase the adverse impact of droughts and SDS on the region.
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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:
- http://carececo.org/main/activity/projects/droughtSDS/
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https://www.unccd.int/conventionregions/regional-approacht-sahes-combat-drougnd-and-dust-storms-central-asia