Korea, China, and Mongolia Strengthen Cooperation to Combat Yellow Dust and Land Degradation
- *DLDD-NEAN Holds International Forum and Program Steering Committee Meeting, September 24-25 -
* DLDD-NEAN(Desrtification, Land Degradation and Drought Northeast Asia Network)

The Korea Forest Service, led by Minister KIM In-ho, hosted the DLDD-NEAN International Forum and Program Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on September 24?25. The event brought together government representatives from Korea, China, Mongolia, and Russia, as well as officials from international organizations such as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC).

The International Forum, held on September 24 in partnership with **NEASPEC, was convened under the theme of “Land and Natural Disasters.” Participants shared government policies and research findings related to forest disaster management in their respective countries. In particular, Korea presented not only its domestic forest disaster response efforts but also examples of global cooperation initiatives carried out in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO).

** North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation(NEASPEC) was officially established in 1993 as a follow-up to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Led by the Republic of Korea, NEASPEC was created in cooperation with China, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to promote collaboration on regional environmental issues. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea serves as its focal point.

At the DLDD-NEAN PSC Meeting held on September 25, the member countries agreed to launch a joint pilot project for the development of a map of the origins of yellow dust as part of efforts to combat desertification. They also discussed plans for conducting joint research on desertification.

Held in Changwon, Korea, in 2011, the DLDD-NEAN was officially launched at the UNCCD COP10 with Korea, China, and Mongolia as founding members. The Network was established to strengthen regional cooperation in preventing desertification and yellow dust in Northeast Asia, and Russia joined as an observer in 2020.

The KFS, which serves as the Secretariat of the DLDD-NEAN, convenes an annual experts’ forum and PSC Meeting. From 2019 to 2022, Korea, China, and Mongolia jointly funded and implemented a reforestation project in the drylands of Zamiin-Uud, Mongolia (including a 2-kilometer shelterbelt, a 5-hectare windbreak, and a 1-hectare nursery), and published the Northeast Asia Report of the UNCCD’s Global Land Outlook.

NAM Song-hee, Director General of the International Affairs Bureau of the Korea Forest Service, stated, “Desertification and land degradation have severe impacts on forests, nature, wildlife, and people. Going forward, we remain committed to advancing transboundary cooperation among member countries through joint research and pilot projects.