In May 2000 an international symposium was held in Yazd under a UNDP regional project Regional Symposium on Sustainable Development of Desert Communitie s (RAS/99/063). Over 300 people attended, many invited from neighbouring countries. The Yazd Declaration resolved to establish an International Centre in Yazd .
The Yazd Centre proposes to study the traditional and modern techniques of, and realities faced by, desert communities such as Yazd . By studying, compiling, analyzing and sharing this traditional knowledge and best practices of co-existence and harmony, societies in similar desert environments could assist each other and enhance sustainable development in desert regions, principally in Asia, that are threatened with desertification and natural resources depletion.
The Yazd International Centre will focus on information sharing and awareness raising through organising national, regional and international consultations and studies on issues centred on living with the desert. Its aim is to culminate in the exchange of expertise and sustainable development practices in this context throughout the globe. Efforts will be made through the Centre to promote interest among the regional neighbours and international donors and aid agencies to mobilise resources for implementation of long-term activities, inter-country learning and exchange and possible regional collaboration.
The ultimate beneficiaries are the people of desert communities in participating countries, and the academia, policy and research institutions involved.

Thus, the main objective of revising the RAS/99/063 project for this last phase is to focus on improving the capacities and organizational skills required in the start-up phase of the Yazd Centre. Strong emphasis will be given on training senior staff members in order to make the Centre quickly operational on a sound professional basis. 
Objectives 1 and 2 aim to build the operational capacity of the Centre, with regard to its mandate, its national Board of Management and its business plan.
Objectives 3 and 4 concern the development of the Centre's capability in project formulation and management, and the initiation of pilot projects.

To achieve these aims the project, in its final phase of operation, will provide funds primarily for:

Desertification is defined as the land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas results from different factors, including climatic variations and human activities.
Desertification issues are becoming of global interest. This is due to the accelerating rate of deterioration of natural resources particularly in developing countries and to the generally recognized contribution of desertification control and natural resources conservation and wise use to poverty alleviation in rural areas, and to general improvement of health conditions and quality of life. This global interest is growing to meet the needs for novel natural resources that could be utilised for human welfare.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is the second largest country in the Middle East . Most of the country is covered by arid and semi-arid lands in which the average annual rainfall is less than 250 mm, which is scattered irregularly both terms of time and area and potential for evapo-transpiration is many times more than precipitation.
Many geographers and ecologists consider the central plateau of Iran as one of the world's most famous and unique deserts, and the Lut desert, located in the South-Eastern part of the plateau, is the most arid and the hottest point on earth.
Desertification and drought affects the daily lives of a large proportion of Iranian society. Therefore, the National Action Plan (NAP) is addressed economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects of the issue. Based on the long experiences gained during four decades of combating desertification activities, and the diagnoses and evaluation of these activities and review of the past experiences in Iran , appropriate actions are envisaged in the NAP process. These include promotion of the use of new technologies and techniques relating to combating desertification and better use of indigenous knowledge and technologies among others, and several research institutes and faculties on combating desertification exist around the country. One of the objectives of the NAP is to strengthen and improve the work of these institutions.
Natural resources in the deserts and dry areas support human societies ecologically, economically, culturally and spiritually. Despite its importance, however, ecosystems are being degraded and desertification increased at an alarming rate due to the impact of our growing human population and increasing resource consumption rates. The global decline of natural resources is now recognised as one of the most serious environmental issues facing humanity. Desertification control is also considered to offer formidable opportunities for poverty alleviation and improving health conditions in human populations. Recognition of the world-wide impact of the desertification inspired the global community to negotiate the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Iran was one of the first countries that signed the international Convention to Combat Desertification and had completed the ratification process in 1996 and thus became a member of the Convention.
Yazd as an original Iranian city at the heart of Iran has played a vital role in preserving he Persian culture and civilization. The Yazd Province provides abundant examples of knowledge and practices for living in desert environments and combating desertification. Successful efforts to fix sand dunes and establish shelter-belts to combat dust storms are but a few examples. The architectural and cultural heritage shows remarkable adaptations to desert living.
Yazd has been able to lay down the foundation of a great civilization and offered a beautiful example of living in harmony with the desert. The people of the region have made considerable efforts to find proper solutions for the sustainable development of desert communities. With their intelligence, hard work, spirit of tolerance and knowledge of art and architecture, they have developed a comprehensive model for living in harmony with the desert.
In May 2000 the Government of Iran had obtained financial assistance from the UNDP for the regional project Regional Symposium on Sustainable Development of Desert Communities" (No. RAS/99/063), and in 2002 the Government had obtained additional financial assistance from UNOPS for the final phase. The aim of this phase of the project is to facilitate the activities for the elaboration of the strategy and business plan for the Yazd International Centre for Living with the Desert (YICLD). The Resident Representative of UNDP-Tehran is continued as the principal project representative for the project and remains responsible for its overall over sight and implementation.