Alianza Mundial por el Suelo

A Regional Conference towards Healthy Soils for the Near East and North Africa | The Sultanate of Oman | 7-8 March 2023

A two-day regional event on sustainable soil management in the Near East and North Africa region will be held March 7-8, 2023 in Muscat, Oman. During the first day a declaration reaffirming the importance of sustainable soil management as well as soil health for the NENA region will be presented for endorsement. During the second day the regional NENA Soil Partnership meeting will be held partially in person for the first time since the pandemic. During this meeting, countries will be invited to review the progress made towards sustainable soil management in the region and to propose their action plan for 2030.

 

AGENDA | REPORT

04/03/2023

The Minister of Agriculture of the Sultanate of Oman, the FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa and the head of the League of Arab States will open the event that will be moderated by the FAO office in Oman. 

The objective of the meeting are to: 

  • Raise awareness of the importance of soils in the NENA region;
  • Present the status of soils in the NENA region;
  • Identify the regional priorities and needs, and define the regional actions to take; 
  • Endorse the “Muscat Declaration on Sustainable Soil Management in the NENA region”; 
  • Improve partnership and cooperation between countries and regional stakeholders; and
  • Explore opportunities for mobilizing financial resources for sustainable soil management.

The event will be held in a hybrid format to ensure the participation of as many countries and stakeholders as possible in the region. The Ministers of Agriculture from the NENA Soil partnership countries have been invited to nominate their senior representatives to attend virtually or in person. The meeting also extended an invitation to the national coordinators of the Technical Cooperation Programme project on “Capacity development for the sustainable management of soil resources in the NENA region to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the national focal points and all GSP partners from the NENA region.

Expected outcomes 

Through the participation of government representatives from all countries within the region, the event is expected to result in the adoption of the “Muscat Declaration on Sustainable Soil Management in the NENA region”. This timely declaration is meant to foster the establishment of a common ground for the NENA region to translate political will into coordinated and concrete actions aimed at scaling up sustainable soil management and improving soil health within the region.

The event advocates for the safeguarding and improvement of soil resources in the region by presenting national action plans on soils, with the aim of increasing awareness on the status of soils and its main threats within the region. Additionally, it includes two panel discussions on resource mobilization to encourage potential financial donors to invest in soils.