The International Conference on Pulses for Health, Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture in Drylands was held on the occasion of the 2016 International Year of Pulses to provide a platform to various stakeholders, including scientists, policy-makers, extension workers, traders and entrepreneurs, to discuss the various contributions of pulses to food and nutritional security and ecosystem health. Challenges ahead to driving greater production and benefits for all will be addressed with a focus on Central and West Asia, and North Africa, with the goal to  develop a roadmap for increasing productivity and profitability of pulses through diversification and intensification of cereal/livestock-based cropping systems.