İstanbul hosts meeting on UN convention to combat desertification

Turkish Environment & Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu said on Monday that desertification, which caused poverty, migration, unemployment lack of food and security, was a common risk, and the whole humanity should take measures against it jointly.

The 7th session of the committee for the review of the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification started in İstanbul.

Speaking at the inauguration, Eroğlu said that Turkey was one of the countries suffering from desertification, and it actively participated in all efforts against this problem in the world.

Eroğlu said that according to UN's figures, general cost of desertification was 42 billion USD annually.

He added that currently 193 countries signed the Convention which aimed to combat desertification to provide sustainable development.