Paved roads, parking lots, and high-rises are the visible symbols of urban growth. Yet beneath them lies an often-forgotten foundation of city life: soil. When soils are permeable and vegetated, they can play a key role in cities, absorbing rainwater to reduce flood risks, regulating temperature to ease heat islands, storing carbon, and supporting vegetation that improves air quality and provides food. But when soils are sealed under concrete and asphalt, these life-supporting functions are disrupted, leaving cities more vulnerable to floods, overheating, and pollution

On 15 September 2025 in Rabat, Morocco, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its Global Soil Partnership will officially launch the International Network on Soil Erosion (INSER), a milestone in the global fight against soil degradation.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its Global Soil Partnership (GSP), invites expressions of interest from countries wishing to host the official World Soil Day (WSD) celebration on 5 December 2025. For the second consecutive year, the official WSD event will be held outside FAO headquarters. The selected host country will co-organize a high-level international event in close collaboration with FAO. The 2025 theme, “Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities,” will focus on urban soils and the challenges of soil sealing. The event will highlight the role of sustainable soil management in supporting resilient cities, biodiversity, and food security. Countries with a strong commitment to soil health and the institutional capacity to organize a global event are encouraged to apply through their designated GSP focal points. 

Interested countries are invited to fill in the online form or contact the GSP Secretariat at [email protected] for any questions or clarifications on the process

We would like to invite all congress participants of EUROSOIL 2025 to drop by and connect with us at FAO’s Global Soil Partnership booth and join our session “Status of soils worldwide: state of the art and future prospects” on 10 September 2025 at 9.45 at Al’Andalus Auditorium and via Zoom.

If you have organized an outstanding World Soil Day (WSD) event for the 2024 campaign ‘Caring for soils: measure, monitor, manage’, don’t miss the chance to win the King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award, edition 2025.  The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) is pleased to invite all participants to last year campaign to apply.