22 July 2008: The Bureau of the Committee on Science
and Technology (CST) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has
selected the ‘Drylands Science for Development’ consortium as its partner to
jointly organize a scientific conference for the CST’s 2009 session.

Consortium members include the International Center
for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Crops
Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and the United Nations
University/International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU – INWEH).
CST9 will convene in conjunction with the ninth Conference of the Parties to
the UNCCD, in late 2009, and will consider the priority theme ‘Bio-physical and
socio-economic monitoring and assessment of desertification and land
degradation, to support decision-making in land and water management.’ [UNCCD website]