Sand, dust storms big challenge to sustainable development: Kuwait

‘Need regional, int’l co-op regarding weather forecasts’

NEW YORK, July 18, (KUNA): Kuwait has stated that sand and dust storms constitute a big challenge to sustainable development, calling for international cooperation to address this phenomenon.

This came in Kuwait’s speech delivered on Tuesday by second secretary Abdullah Al-Sharrah, a member of Kuwait’s permanent delegation to the UN, during an interactive dialogue on sand and dust storms at the headquarters of the UN.

The State of Kuwait stressed the need of regional and international cooperation regarding weather forecasts through early warning systems among the exporting and receiving countries of storms to address the causes and sources of these storms, and mitigate their effects, Al-Sharrah said.

He added that the country’s participation in this dialogue is a step on the right track to express attention on better and accurate awareness and understanding on this phenomenon.

Sand and dust storms have caused a problem to Kuwait and the region over the last decades that has a desert climate with high temperature and drought due to rare rains, he said.

This position has not been improved to face storms, which prompted Kuwait to take effective regional and national measures and arrangements, which require international cooperation, partnership and support, he noted.

Affected

Kuwait is part of the world, but it is greatly affected by these storms, he said, calling for international and collective cooperation to address this reality and achieve the desired goal.

All countries have responsibility to face such storms and this principle is mentioned in the Paris Climate Agreement, he said.

The principle constituted a new stage for facing climate change and a roadmap supported by international, regional and national efforts so as to guarantee environmental sustainability to enable the developing countries to fight poverty in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he made clear.

He stated that efforts made in 2015 led to the adoption of key results topped with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Kuwait is keen on exerting all efforts in this regard, taking into consideration new opportunities derived from technological and scientific progress to face obstacles and address the issue of these storms, he stressed.

Al-Sahrrah lauded the key role of UN programmes and systems, mainly the UN Environment Programme, in implementation of the UN General Assembly’s resolutions on combating sand and dust storms. He reiterated Kuwait’s continued cooperation with the UN and international partners to face sand and dust storms so as to make a positive change in this field.