Global Symposium on Salt-Affected Soils Opening Remarks
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
20/10/2021
Global Symposium on Salt-Affected Soils
Opening Remarks
By
Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
As prepared
20 October 2021
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. Today’s event aims to strengthen the dialogue between policy-makers, scientists and technical experts.
2. Humanity is facing many challenges, including food insecurity, poverty and malnutrition, due to multiple factors such as the climate crisis, land degradation, pollution and loss of biodiversity.
3. These challenges are affecting our global commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
4. FAO’s new Strategic Framework 2022-2031 is built on our collective aspiration to achieve the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
5. Healthy soils constitute a pre-requisite to achieve the SDGs, and are at the basis of the Four Betters.
6. Water is the source of life, and soil is the mother of all creatures on Earth.
7. However, soil salinity has been identified as one of the global soil threats, as set out in the Status of the World’s Soil Resources report.
8. Salt-affected soils are widespread around the globe and are found in all climates, going beyond borders, in over 100 countries in all continents of the world.
9. Today, we are launching the Global Salt-affected Soils Map - the result of a country-driven process involving more than 110 countries.
10. The Map estimates that the global area of salt-affected soils amounts to 1 billion hectares, including naturally arid or semi-arid environments.
11. It also estimates that 20 to 50 percent of irrigated soils are salt-affected.
12. This affects over 1.5 billion people worldwide, whose productivity is significantly reduced due to soil degradation.
13. Furthermore, the climate crisis is causing the appearance of new salt-affected soils.
14. By the end of the 21st century, it is estimated that global drylands could expand by as much as 10 to 23 percent, and that as much as 80 percent of this will occur in developing countries.
15. This could lead to increased accumulation of salts and the spread of salt-affected soils - leading to increased poverty.
16. Coastal zones are the most vulnerable due to rising seawater levels - this affects 600 million people worldwide who currently inhabit low-elevation coastal zones.
Dear Colleagues,
17. The implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management constitutes a vehicle for addressing the 10 soil global threats, including soil salinity.
18. We must look for innovative ways to transform our agri-food systems to be MORE efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.
19. This objective is also at the core of FAO’s new Strategic Framework!
20. The management of salt-affected areas demands an integrated approach that includes sustainable soil management practices.
21. Many practical solutions will be showcased and discussed during this Symposium, for future action by the FAO International Network on Salt-affected Soils.
22. Today’s Symposium is the result of the fruitful collaboration between FAO’s Global Soil Partnership and key partners, as part of global efforts to halt soil salinization and boost soil productivity.
23. I wish you a productive Symposium.
24. Thank you.