Mr. President,
I have the honor to introduce on behalf of the Group of 77 and China the draft resolution contained in document (A/77/L.72), titled International Day of Combating sand and dust storms, where it’s stressing the need for cooperation at the global and regional levels with a view to managing and mitigating the effects of sand and dust storms through the enhancement of early warning systems and the sharing of climate and weather information to forecast sand and dust storms, and affirming that resilient action to combat sand and dust storms requires a better understanding of the severe multidimensional impacts of sand and dust storms, including the deterioration of the health, well-being and livelihood of people, increased desertification and land degradation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and land productivity, and their impact on sustainable economic growth.
The draft proposal is based on op19 of GA resolution 77/171, where the GA decided to consider during its seventy-seventh session the measures required to designate a day of each year as the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, to further raise international awareness of sand and dust storms, taking in consideration that the aforementioned paragraph was based on flexibility shown by our group to have it in a separate process, while the group was totally aware of another substantive resolution adopted in the main session of 2C during the 77th session of the GA, where international day has been agreed upon.
To this end, the draft resolution decides to proclaim 12 July as International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storm to be observed annually.
The Group expresses its gratitude to the delegation of Iraq for its efforts in coordinating this draft resolution on behalf of the G77 and China, in addition to its role as facilitator as well, and we look forward to adopt the present draft resolution by consensus.
I thank you.