9th PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE GLOBAL SOIL PARTNERSHIP
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
08/09/2021
9th PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE GLOBAL SOIL PARTNERSHIP
Opening Statement
by
Dr. QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General.
8 September 2021
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. This is the second time the Plenary Assembly is meeting virtually, which allows for even wider participation and with a lower carbon footprint!
2. As the decision-making body of the Global Soil Partnership, the Assembly will review and prioritize actions and make strategic decisions to further strengthen the global soil agenda, including:
• prioritizing targets for 2030;
• adopting concrete indicators for monitoring and evaluation; and
• endorsing the New Action Framework, aimed at making the Global Soil Partnership more action-focused on the ground.
3. I am pleased to see that significant progress has been made in Sustainable Soil Management at national, regional and global levels.
4. Sustainable Soil Management is an important contributor to food security and nutrition, and for mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis.
5. There are more growing challenges created by the pandemic.
6. We must look for innovative ways to transform our agri-food systems to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
7. Healthy soils are critical to achieving this!
Dear Colleagues,
8. These achievements are the result of the fruitful collaboration between the Global Soil Partnership, its Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils, and key partners from government, civil society and the private sector, together with the continued support of resource partners.
9. This includes the implementation of the International Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers.
10. Global assessments on soil pollution and soil biodiversity have provided a concrete agenda for action on these important issues.
11. Re-carbonization of Global Soils (RECSOIL) provides important support to farmers to adopt good practices to maintain and sequester carbon.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
12. FAO remains committed to promoting healthy soils and contributing to global soil governance.
13. In this regard, FAO is proud to collaborate with the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Convention on Desertification and its Science-Policy Interface, and the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative.
14. Although soils and soil health are well-rooted in the global agenda, tangible impacts remain an important challenge,
15. for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all, leaving no one behind!
16. I wish you a successful and productive meeting.
17. Thank you.