Climate, drought and desertification

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) is a major outcome of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. Following the signing of the Convention in Paris in October 1994, this innovative document came into force on 26 December 1996. The ratification of the Convention by 112 countries, some of which are not directly affected by desertification, signifies the importance accorded by the international community to this global problem.