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World Soil Day | 5 December

World Soil Day official celebration

Rome (Italy), 05/12/2025

Healthy soils for healthy cities

©FAO

Healthy soils are the foundation of life on Earth. Each year on 5 December, World Soil Day (WSD) celebrates soils and raises awareness of their importance for sustainable agrifood systems, climate action, biodiversity, and human well-being.

The theme for 2025, “Healthy soils for healthy cities”, focuses on the role of soils in cities and the challenges posed by soil sealing and urbanization.

With two-thirds of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2050, soils are the foundations of sustainable and resilient cities.

World Soil Day 2025 is a call to action! It invites policymakers, scientists, city leaders, civil society, and citizens everywhere to reimagine urban spaces through their soils, ensuring that people and nature can thrive together in healthy green cities.


Draft agenda

Time (CET)Programme
10:00 – 10:05Welcome and Introduction
Ms Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, FAO
10:05 – 10:35High-level Opening

Dr. QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO

Ms Anacláudia Marinheiro Centeno Rossbach, Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

H.R.H. Princess Basma Bint Ali, Head of the National Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Committee of Jordan and FAO Goodwill Ambassador Near East and North Africa 
10:35 – 10:40Artistic performance: “Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities”
10:40 – 10:50Moderator: Mr Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO

Remarks by H.E. Igor L. Golubovskiy, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to FAO

Video presentation of the laureate of Glinka World Soil Prize 2025

Delivery of the Glinka World Soil Prize 2025 by Dr QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO, and H.E. Igor L. Golubovskiy, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to FAO
10:50 – 10:55Remarks by the laureate of the Glinka World Soil Prize 2025
10:55 – 11:05Remarks by Ms Narumol Sanguanvong, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand

Video presenting the winner of the King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award 2025
11:05 – 11:10Video
World Soil Day 2025 animation: “Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities”
11:10 – 11:15Announcement of the winners of the contest “Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities”
By Ms. Thorunn Wolfram, Secretary of the Global Soil Partnership, FAO
11:15 – 11:20Conclusions and closing remarks
Ms Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, FAO

 

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