Contents: Preface; The United Nations Convention to combat desertification in global sustainable development governance, Pierre Marc Johnson, Karel Mayrand, and Marc Paquin; The scientific basis: links between land degradation, drought and desertification, Stefanie M Herrmann and Charles F. Hutchinson; Examining the links between poverty and land degradation: from blaming the poor towards recognising the rights of the poor, Sally-Anne Way; Desertification and migration, Michelle Leighton; Negotiating desertification, Adil Najam; The United Nations and the fight against desertification: what role for the UNCCD Secretariat?, Steffen Bauer; Civil society's role in negotiating and implementing the UNCCD, Friederike Knabe; Promoting good governance through the implementation of the UNCCD, Lene Poulsen and Masse Lo; The global mechanism and UNCCD financing: constraints and opportunities, Francois Falloux, Suzanne Tressler, and Karel Mayrand; Decentralisation and sustainable resources management in West Africa: a line of action for revisiting national action programmes, Richard Pearce; Knowledge and the UNCCD: The community exchange and training programme, Noel Oettle; Agriculture, trade, and desertification: implications for UNCCD, Karel Mayrand and Marc Paquin; Conclusion: the UNCCD at a crossroad, Pierre Marc Johnson, Karel Mayrand, and Marc Paquin; Appendix: United Nations convention to combat desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa; Bibliography; Index.