The World Soil Day ceremony will be held virtually on 4 December as an independent event during the FAO Council. It will feature the participation of Mr Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General, Ms Elizabeth Maruma Mrema (TBC), Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity and thousands of soil fans.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

World Soil Day (WSD) "Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity", is the United Nations Observance that celebrates healthy soils for a healthy life. Protecting our soils can ensure a secure future for food systems and the provision of key ecosystem services, such as plant growth, water purification and climate change mitigation and adaption. This year's campaign urges us to focus our attention on the workers belowground - from tiny bacteria to agile millipedes and slimy earthworms - all of which contribute to processes that are indispensable to life on Earth.

PUBLICATION LAUNCH

The "State of knowledge of soil biodiversity" will be launched during the WSD global ceremony on 4 December together with a handy summary for policy makers. Over 300 scientists from around the world contributed to the preparation of this report, highlighting the threats and the solutions that soil biodiversity can provide to current global challenges. The report is the result of a coordinated effort of the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership and its Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, and the European Commission.

SOIL PRIZES

The winners of the Glinka World Soil Prize and King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award will be announced during the celebration, while an interactive quiz will challenge your knowledge of soil biodiversity. The first three classified of the Scientific Book Contest on Soil Biodiversity, jointly organized by the International Union of Soil Sciences and the Global Soil Partnership, will be also announced during this global ceremony.

The webinar will be webcast and interpreted into the 6 UN official languages.

Official hashtags: #WorldSoilDay and #SoilBiodiversity

Trello board and WSD workspace

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Learn more: Details of the event | Agenda