The Global Soil Partnership Sustainable Management of Soil ... A. Fuavao.pdfGSP Pillars of Action 1. Promote sustainable management of soil resources and improved global governance

Vili Fuavao

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

The Global Soil Partnership

Sustainable Management of Soil Resources for Food Security and Climate Change Adaptation and

Mitigation

Soil is a common good!

of our food comes from soils

but our soils are in danger…

today 2050

of our

global

soils are

degraded

and we need to increase production

(quality and quantity)

- Soil erosion

- Nutrient depletion

- Loss of organic carbon

- Soil sealing

- Soil salinity

- Acidification

Soil sealing or land take

Land use change ---- main driver

sustainable soil management

- A vacuum on Soil governance at global level

- Soil Investment far too low.

- Soil degradation, a continuous serious threat.

- Outdated soil information at global and regional levels.

- Weakening of national soil institutions.

- Poor knowledge and appreciation of soil functions for life.

- Gap on targeted soil research.

Overview of Soils by 2011

Response from FAO and its members

An Agenda for Action

Partners

400 partners: FAO members and other partners(universities, NGOs, etc)

Focal Points

Second GSP Plenary Assembly endorsed the nomination of focalpoints by FAO Members.

Currently 108 countries

nominated their focal points

Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS)

GSP Pillars of Action 1. Promote sustainable management of soil resources and improved global governance

for soil protection and sustainable productivity;

2. Encourage investment, technical cooperation, policy, education, awareness andextension in soils;

3. Promote targeted soil research and development focusing on identified gaps, prioritiesand synergies among economic/productive, environmental and social dimensions;

4. Enhance the quality and availability of soil data andinformation: collection, analysis, validation, reporting,monitoring, integration with other disciplines;

5. Harmonization of methods, measurements andindicators for the sustainable management andprotection of soil resources.

Way forward of Plans of Action

As per the Guidelines for Plans of Action of the Rules of Procedure.

Organization of International workshops

Establishment of global Working Groups

Preparation of Draft Plans of Action

Review and endorsement by ITPS

Endorsement by Plenary Assembly

Implementation through Implementation Plans at Regional levels

RSP working on this now

Plans of Action

All Pillars were endorsed by the Plenary Assembly and underpreparation of implementation plans

At the Regional level, the same structures applied

Regional Soil Partnerships

Asian Soil Partnership• Launched in February 2012 through a project for developing the Asian Soil

Information System Phase I (converting soil information for HWSD). The projectconsisted on capacity development and participation was very positive. Projectactivities ended in December 2014.

• Nanjing Communiqué and Tsukuba Statement were prepared where the Institute ofSoil Science-Chinese Academy of Sciences is the provisional Secretary.

• A meeting of the ASP was held in Bogor, Indonesia during the ESAFS soil congress.

• Agreement to establish their Steering Committee during the World Soil Congress wasplanned but not implemented.

Asian Soil Partnership

To achieve these goals, the participants agreed to consolidate the Asian Soil Partnership by establishing the Secretariat hosted by Thailand and a Steering Committee that is composed by:Chair: ThailandEast Asia: Republic of Korea, Mongolia: (Japan to be confirmed)Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Thailand, IndonesiaSouth Asia: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

- Updated World Soil Charter (just endorsed by 150 FAO

Council)

- Establishment of Regional Soil Partnerships (all regions)

- Support to develop capacities on soils in the various

regions

- Establishment of the Healthy Soils Facility

- Advocacy for inclusion of soils in the SDG

- Preparation of the Status of World Soil Resources

Report

- Important work of the Intergovernmental Technical

Panel on Soils

- World Soil Day and International Year of Soils 2015

Main Achievements

The GSP has promoted the World Soil Day (5 December in

recognition of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadejand of

Thailand) and International Year of Soils 2015, and members

(under the leadership of Thailand) have supported it during

the 68th UNGA.

GSP and Awareness raising

World Soil Day in Thailand• The Royal Thai Government celebrated for three days WSD in Bangkok

• Organized by the Land Development Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand

Beyond 2015

THANK YOU!

Soils are in the agenda again…..

The key is to keep the momentum and increase investment on sustainable soil management beyond 2015!

We are committed to that!