World Deserts Foundation ''(Fondation Deserts du Monde'') is an Algerian non-governmental and intergovernmental organization. Its headquarters are located in Ghardaia, Algeria. Its mission is to promote

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

of desert regions. World Deserts Foundation is one of the organizations participating on a continuing basis as the observer in the United Nations Economic and Social Council.ECOSOC observers, Part V
The Foundation has been established in 2002. It has created by the Algerian politician and then Minister of Tourism,

Cherif Rahmani Cherif Rahmani was the Algerian minister for supply in the 1995 government of Mokdad Sifi.Hunter, Brian. (Ed.) (1995) ''The Statesman's Year-Book 1995-96 ''The Statesman's Yearbook'' is a one-volume reference book published annually since 1864 ...

, as means to receive a share of funds from

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

allocated to the project overseen by the Algerian Ministry of Culture, as well as to provide a government-friendly, but officially independent and non-government partner for the purpose of securing funding that is not meant to be allocated to public institutions. For that reason, the Foundation has been criticized as a tool to misuse development funds and exclude proper civil society organizations who are less supportive of the government or have less ties to the current administration.

References.

2002 establishments in Algeria Economic development organizations Deserts {{Algeria-stub