On 11 October 2011 UNESCAP Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia (SRO-ENEA) held an official side-event at the 10th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP-10) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Changwon, Republic of Korea.

The side-event titled “Subregional Cooperation on Combating Desertification and Land Degradation in North-East Asia” was attended by more than 50 participants representing governmental entities, research institutions, civil society organizations, international and UN agencies from more than 10 countries of the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, including prominent speakers from China, Mongolia, and the Republic of Korea. They discussed the advantages of pursuing multilateral cooperation in coping with such a complex challenge as desertification and outlined the areas for further expansion of cooperation within the subregion and wider in Asia-Pacific, as well as identified areas of cooperation with other global actors.

The participants specifically discussed the progress and outcomes of the NEASPEC Project on Implementing the Regional Master Plan for the Prevention and Control of Dust and Sandstorms in North-East Asia that was launched in 2010 to focus on boosting collaboration in North-East Asia and, especially between China and Mongolia, on combating desertification and land degradation. The project involves sharing of best experiences and capacity building through demonstration projects and training activities.