Dr Pierre Marc Johnson has been counsel to Heenan Blaikie, Canada, since 1996. He is advisor to various international institutions, including the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (NAFTA parallel institution) and the UNCCD Secretariat. He has also chaired Committees of the Conference of Parties of the UNCCD and has mediated Convention related issues between OECD and developing countries in the last decade. Karel Mayrand is co-founder and Director of Research at Unisfera International Centre, Canada - an independent, not-for-profit research centre on sustainable development policy and law. He also lectures on environment and international development issues at the Universite de Sherbrooke, Canada. His fields of expertise are trade policy and the environment, agricultural policies, rural development and desertification. Marc Paquin is a lawyer and MBA specializing in international and comparative environment and sustainable development law and policy. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Unisfera International Centre, Canada and is also a lecturer at the Universite de Sherbrooke, Canada. Throughout his career Mr Paquin has worked on various assignments for governments, intergovernmental organizations and the private sector. Contributors: Pierre Marc Johnson, Karel Mayrand, Marc Paquin, Stefanie M Herrmann, Charles F. Hutchinson, Sally-Anne Way, Michelle Leighton, Adil Najam, Steffen Bauer, Friederike Knabe, Lene Poulsen, Masse Lo, Francois Falloux, Suzanne Tressler, Richard Pearce, Noel Oettle.