Alianza Mundial por el Suelo

Call for Experts on Soil Pollution. From assessment to remediation

Two working groups will be created as part of the implementation of the outcome document “Be the solution to soil pollution”. 

07/09/2018

The increasing awareness on soil contamination and pollution, including the urgent need for action towards protection and monitoring of soil condition at national and global levels, led to the joint organization of the Global Symposium on Soil Pollution (GSOP18) by FAO, GSP and ITPS, UN Environment, WHO, BRS Conventions in May 2018. The Symposium succeeded in prioritizing soil pollution as a serious risk to food security, human health and the environment. More than 500 participants from over 100 countries engaged actively by presenting the results of their studies and discussing the challenges impeding effective on the-ground policy design and decision making.

Based on those results, recommendations were developed and were published in the Outcome Document of the Symposium “Be the Solution to Soil Pollution” calling for  accelerated actions and collaboration to address and manage soil pollution  with the aim of supporting the policy processes and actions to encourage the implementation of sustainable soil management practices on the ground. The GSOP18 Outcome Document recommended as a way forward, the establishment of two Working Groups (WG).

A Working Group “for developing feasible and regionally contextualized guidelines for measuring, mapping, monitoring and reporting on soil pollution” (WG 1)

Working Group to create a database on the best available techniques for the management and remediation of polluted soils according to land use and edapho-climatic conditions, that can be adapted locally to assess and monitor soil pollution and to support management decisions” (WG 2).

This open call for the establishment of these WGs represents a response to the urgent need to identify, compile and highlight strategies that promote and prevent soil pollution taking into account diverse contexts and scales and given differing local and national capacities/ capabilities among countries. The contributions should be adapted to regional and sub-regional specificities, site characteristics, land user needs and consider cost-benefit analyses and social impacts. The establishment of these open WGs is an important activity in the framework of the GSP Pillar 1 to “Promote sustainable management of soil resources for soil protection, conservation and sustainable productivity”.  The outputs of this WG shall be within the scope of the principles presented in the Voluntary Guidelines of Sustainable Soil Management.

In line with the inclusive, participatory and voluntary mandate and nature of the GSP this call represents an open invitation to join for everyone interested to contribute, comprising government representatives, scientists, researchers, NGOs, policy makers, members of existing initiatives and contaminated soil remediation companies, and any other relevant stakeholder.

The expression of interest and registration process will close on 1 October 2018. After the above-mentioned deadline, a proposal for the way forward will be sent out to all WG members. The collaboration will be managed through an online process.

 

In case you are interested to join one or both WGs, please send an email to Natalia Rodríguez Eugenio indicating the selected WG by 1st October 2018.