The UN under-secretary-general who co-chairs the organisation’s coalition on sand and dust storms, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, is expected to launch the initiative in Ulaanbaatar. The work planned is specific rather than declarative: more monitoring stations, better assessment and modelling, trained staff. The UN has named the coming 10 years its international decade on combating sand and dust storms.
The host has standing to ask. Montsame puts 76.8% of Mongolian territory under desertification pressure, and registration for the conference, which opens in Ulaanbaatar on 17 August, passed 4,127 delegates this week.