Global Soil Partnership

Webinar on soil governance

The FAO's Global Soil Partnership is pleased to invite you to the Webinar on Soil governance that will take place on Wednesday 13 January 2021 from 15:00 to 16:30 CET online (Zoom platform).
The Webinar will coincide with the launch of SoiLEX, a global database on national legislation on soil that aims to facilitate access to existing legal instruments and to bridge the gap between soil stakeholders. 

The new online platform facilitates the search for national soil legal instruments, the understanding of legal areas relevant to soil management and protection as well as the exchange of experiences in soil governance between countries and regions. 

Recordings of the webinar | Webinar Report

Soil is one of the essential components of a productive agricultural sector, and is a key provider of ecosystem services, such as regulating climate change and water flows, providing clean water, food, feed, and fuel, supporting human infrastructure, and buffering and filtering contaminants. However, due to the complexity of soil resources and the different stakeholders that benefit from them, soil governance is generally addressed in a dispersed manner in current national and international legal frameworks, ranging from agricultural legislation to regulations on mining, urban development and environmental protection.

A better understanding of the extent to which soils are protected and their use and management regulated is essential as soil governance determines how soils are used and can contribute to the conservation of their essential functions. Advancing soil protection in national programmes and building national capacity for law-making and enforcement are key to ensuring sustainable use and management of soil and ultimately achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Learn MORE | Recordings of the webinar | Webinar Report

13 JANUARY 2021 | 15:00 - 16:30 CET

15:00-15:10 | OPENING REMARKS 

  • Mr Eduardo Mansur, Director Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, FAO
  • H.E. Alexandra Valkenburg, Permanent Representative of the European Union to FAO 

15:10–15:20 | Good Governance for sustainable soil management: How to do it? Dr Harald Ginzky, Lawyer of Umweltbundesamt, Germany

15:20–15:35 | The importance of Soil Awareness for developing Soil Protection LawDr Irene Heuser, Chair, Specialist Group on Soil, Desertification and Sustainable Agriculture, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law

15:35–15:50 | Strengthening institutions and national capacitiesDr Oliver C. Ruppel, Director and Professor of Law, Development and Rule of Law Programme (DROP), Stellenbosch University, South Africa

15:50–16:00 | FAO’s technical assistance on sustainable land managementMs Margret Vidar, Legal Officer, FAO

16:00–16:10 | Global Soil Partnership efforts to promote soil governance from the global to the national levelMr Hugo Bourhis, International Consultant, FAO GSP

16:10–16:25 | Panel discussion and Q&A

16:25–16:30 | CONCLUSION, Mr Ronald Vargas, FAO Global Soil Partnership 

Moderator: Mr Ronald Vargas, FAO Global Soil Partnership

REGISTER HERE

Date
13 Jan 2021
- 13 Jan 2021
Location
Online