To what extent is the final statement of the “Dust Conference” binding on countries?

According to the social reporter of Moj news agency, the final statement of the meeting on dealing with sand and dust storms, which was held on 18 and 19 September in Tehran, was published yesterday.

In this statement, there was a reference to things such as the role of sanctions in reducing the ability to deal with dust, which was one of the objectives of the Islamic Republic of Iran in holding this meeting, but the issue of how binding the statement is for countries is debatable.

In this regard, Elahe Movahdi, a senior environmental expert, told Moj: At first, it was thought that this conference ended without issuing a statement, which could have been really disappointing, but finally the final statement was published and there were good clauses in it. is brought

He continued: In a part of the statement, the role of sanctions and coercive policies in reducing the efficiency of dealing with dust is mentioned. Elsewhere, the ministers of the participating countries have emphasized the need for all countries to have free access to the latest technologies available in the field of environment, which can be cited for Iran due to the sanctions of our country.

This expert said: Another point in this statement is the emphasis on the creation of a financial fund to deal with dust, which was one of the main goals of this meeting, and this is very important because if dust is to be curbed, all the countries of the world must cooperate. and an important part of this cooperation is in line with the countries’ financial aid, which is possible through this fund.

Referring to the role of the cooperation of universities of different countries to deal with dust, which is mentioned in the statement, Mowhedi said: basically, nothing starts without research and study, and dealing with dust is no exception. Considering that scientists from different countries have researched on dust in different fields, the cooperation of universities is very important.

He reminded: Although there are good things in the statement, it is not mentioned anywhere that it is binding, and it is very important that the countries have an obligation to implement the provisions of the statement.

The senior environmental expert noted: Our country hosted the summit, and the provisions that we and many other countries of the world had in mind were included in the final statement, but how binding the outcome of the summit is, depends on the United Nations and the measures taken. In this direction, it does.