Drought is a complex phenomenon: its causes are varied, and it has both direct and indirect impacts on food security, human well-being and ecosystem health. Episodes of drought that occur where land has become degraded can spur human migration and even civil unrest. The need to increase water security is vitally important, something achievable by addressing the links and interactions among water scarcity, climate change and land degradation. Research suggests that water scarcity can be mediated, at least in part, with better land- and water-use decisions and by restoring degraded land. The report was prepared under the supervision of the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface working group dedicated to Objective 2.