An international scientific conference on desertification and drylands research took place in Tunis, Tunisia from June 19th to 21st. The main objectives of this conference were to "review the current state-of-knowledge of dryland ecosystems and the socio-economics of dryland development, to identify important knowledge gaps for defining future paths of research, and to communicate 50 years of dryland research in the context of the IYDD" (UNESCO). Discussions focused on several thematic areas regrouped under these three topics:

• Research and science issues related to drylands and desertification
• Policy-related issues in drylands
• Interventions/ implementation issues related to sustainable dryland development (UNESCO)

Summaries of the presentations held under the different sessions can be found on the following website: http://www.unesco.org/mab/ecosyst/futureDrylands.shtml

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