Towards Zero pollution: Launch of the Global Assessment of Soil Pollution report
Upcoming launch of the Global Report of Soil Pollution and its summary for policy makers: Be the solution!
4 June 2021 | Zoom platform | 12:30-14:30 CEST (GMT+2)
Soil pollution may be invisible to the human eyes, but it compromises soil capacity to provide ecosystems services, including the production of safe, nutritious and sufficient food. Contaminants move through soil, air and water and enter into agri-food systems, affecting the environment and harming our health. Soil pollution is a global transboundary problem and requires coordinated and joint actions to be prevented and solved.
The Global Assessment of Soil Pollution report and its Summary for Policy makers will be launched on 4th June are a response to the UNEA3 request and as part of the World Environment Day celebrations and the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This report and its summary, coordinated by the FAO’s GSP, the ITPS, and UNEP, are the product of an inclusive process involving scientists from all regions.
It will make a valuable contribution to raising awareness of the threats posed by soil pollution and to aligning several international policy frameworks, including the SDGs and multilateral environmental agreements. Furthermore, preventing, addressing, and remediating soil pollution will be critical to the success of the recently declared UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), the upcoming Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the One Health approach.
PRESENTATIONS
Launch of the “Global Assessment of Soil Pollution” report, Ms Natalia Rodríguez Eugenio, FAO GSP
Status of soil pollution, a regional perspective:
- Asia and the Pacific: Mr Ravi Naidu
- Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia: Ms Valentina Pidlisniuk
- Europe: Mr Bernd M. Bussian
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Ms Rosalina Gonzalez
- Near East and North Africa: Mr Talal Darwish
- North America: Mr Geoffrey Siemering
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Ms Mariné Blaauw
How to be a solution to soil pollution? Examples of prevention and remediation of soil pollution:
- EU action plan towards zero pollution for air, water and soil, Mr Bavo Peeters, European Commission
- NICOLE’s evolution as a multi-stakeholder network in tackling industrial soil contamination, Mr Johan De Fraye, Chair of NICOLE Network
MAIN REPORT | SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS