On World Soil Day 2017, the attention of the world will be focused on pressing issues affecting soils, including degradation and pollution, through the theme of the year “Caring for the Planet starts from the ground”. To this end, specific attention will be given to the role of soil organic carbon in mitigating the effects of climate change and to the impacts of soil pollution on the environment and human health. Given increasing impacts and public concern on these topics, the Global Symposium on Soil Pollution 2018 (GSOP18) will be organized for May 2018 at FAO HQ as part of the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management. The goal is to provide a high-level, global-scale scientific opinion on the effects of soil pollution on soil functions and biodiversity. In addition, the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) has also prepared a global soil organic carbon map (GSOCmap) by involving member countries and using a distributed approach. The map would support countries to build their own national soil information systems and report on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on SDG 15.3.1.

Organizers: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations  & United Nations Environment

Partners/Sponsors:  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, UN Environment, Global Soil Partnership, Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soil,
Global Soil Partnership, European Commission, Natural Resources Management Centre (NRMC), Sri Lanka , Ministry of the Environment, Sri Lanka

Contact Person: Abdelkader Bensada: [email protected] Thomas Hammond: [email protected] 

Date and Time: 5 December from 08:30 to 09:45

Venue: Press Room 

Celebrations on World Soil Day will focus on

• launching the global soil organic carbon map;
• launching the Global Symposium on Soil Pollution (2-4 May 2018).

More information here

Agenda | Presentations | Photogallery

Timetable

8:40 – 8:50 Opening and Moderator Ms. Mette Wilkie, Director of the Ecosystem Division for UNEP
8:50 – 9:00 Mr. Carlos Martin-Novella, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
9:00 – 9:15 Prof. Dan Pennock, Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) | Presentation of the Global assessment of the impact of plant protection products on soil functions and soil ecosystems.
9:15 – 9:25 Mr. Vijay K. Thallam, Vice Chairman, Farmer's Empowerment Corporation (RySS) Government of Andhra Pradesh, India | "Remarks on farmers perspectives on the use and impacts of plant protection products"
9:25 – 9:30 Mr. Thomas Hammond, Land and Water Division, FAO | Presentation of the Global Soil Organic Carbon (GSOC) map.
9:30 – 9:40 Ms. Mariet Verhoef-Cohen, co-chair of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) Soil and water pollution: links and way forward
9:40 – 9:50 Questions/Discussion
9:50 – 9:55 Closing remarks Mr. Alexander Jones, Director of Climate and Environment Division of FA