Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani announced on Sunday the launch of an afforestation initiative to combat desertification and dust storms in the country, which suffers from the effects of climate change and water shortage.

Al-Sudani's announcement came during the Iraq Climate Conference, which will be held on Sunday and Monday in the city of Basra, in the far south of the country, in the presence of ambassadors and officials from the United Nations.

In a speech at the opening of the conference, Al-Sudani said that climatic changes represented by "high temperatures, scarcity of rain, and increased dust storms, along with a decrease in green spaces, have threatened food, health, environmental and societal security."

He pointed out, according to a statement issued by his office, that "more than seven million citizens have been affected by drought, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced because they lost their livelihoods that depend on agriculture and fishing."

Al-Sudani announced an initiative that includes "planting five million trees and palm trees in all governorates of Iraq, accompanied by the launch of a national guide for urban afforestation, for the first time in Iraq."

During the spring of 2022, Iraq witnessed dozens of dust storms that produced breathing problems in thousands of people who had to go to hospitals to receive treatment, and forced the authorities to temporarily close schools and public administrations and suspend flights.

Among the measures taken to reduce this phenomenon, the authorities talk about the establishment of green belts around cities, as a deterrent to dust storms.

Decades of conflict and mismanagement have severely affected the number of palm trees that once flourished in Iraq. In the past, palm forests surrounded major cities such as Baghdad and Karbala, but today their numbers have decreased or disappeared and were replaced by buildings.

With less rain, higher temperatures and increasing desertification, Iraq is one of the five countries most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change in the world, according to the United Nations.

Iraq also suffers from an alarming decrease in the level of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Baghdad repeatedly accuses its neighbors Turkey and Iran of causing a decrease in the amount of water reaching its lands, especially because of their construction of dams on the two rivers.

Al-Sudani also announced the call "soon for a regional conference to be held in Baghdad," aimed at "enhancing cooperation and joint coordination, and exchanging experiences and programs among the countries of the region in confronting climate impacts."

In the year 2021, Saudi Arabia, Iraq's neighbor, announced a green initiative to plant ten billion trees on its lands within a decade, and 40 billion trees with other Arab countries.