The 19th Meeting of Working Group I on Sand and Dust Storms, established under the Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM) among the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, is currently being held at the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring (NAMEM).

Working Group I on Sand and Dust Storms, established under TEMM, has been actively cooperating since 2008 in the areas of sand and dust storm monitoring, forecasting and early warning systems, and information exchange. Mongolia has regularly participated in these activities as an observer country, contributing to the expansion of regional cooperation and the exchange of scientific information, knowledge, and experience.

The 19th meeting is particularly significant as it is being held for the first time in Mongolia, one of the major source regions of sand and dust storms, and specifically in conjunction with the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17).

Sand and dust storms are complex natural phenomena that affect multiple sectors and result from interactions between the atmosphere and the land surface. Given the challenges associated with forecasting these events, regional cooperation mechanisms among countries are of critical importance.