According to a decision of the United Nations Enviroment Summit in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, the UNCCD convention was elaborated in 1994 in Paris and has entered into force in 1996. It aims at combating desertification that damages today 30 per cent of the total land area and thus combating land degradation and its socio-political and biological consequences. Erosion, overgrazing and deforestation play a crucial role in this process. The convention promotes practical solutions by, among others, international cooperation and partnership agreements between industrialised and developing countries aiming at supporting sustainable development in arid eco-systems and at mitigating the consequences of droughts.