Launch of the International Year of Soils and the Observance of the World Soil Day

Talking points

Sharon Brennen-Haylock, Director, FAO Liaison Office, New York

 

Launch of the International Year of Soils

Observance of the World Soil Day

 

CR4 UN Conference Building, New York

5 December 2014

 

Your Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol

Mr. President of the 69^th UNGA

Mr. President of ECOSOC

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

 

I join previous speakers in welcoming and thanking you for your participation in this important Launch and Observance.

 

Earlier today, at FAO HQ in Rome, an event similar to this took place to celebrate the first official World Soil Day and the Launch of the International Year of Soils 2015.  Similar events will be organized in Bangkok and Santiago.  The Rome event was well-attended by numerous stakeholders, and, the message you have just heard from the FAO Director General was resoundingly reaffirmed by other speakers  - that is, the critical importance of healthy soils for global food production and  for providing a range of environmental services.  Indeed, that soils are fundamental to life on Earth.

 

The UNGA resolution A/RES/68/232, that declared 2015 the International Year of Soils, invited FAO to facilitate the implementation of the IYS and also of the World Soil Day (WSD). Consequently, FAO together with the Global Soil Partnership will serve as the IYS Secretariat.  The Global Partnership consists of member states, UN agencies, CSOs, Private Sector, Academia and others.

 

It is in this context that I draw your attention to IYS Action Plan that has been distributed in the room.  The main objectives of the International Year of Soils include:

 

• to create full awareness of all stakeholders about the fundamental role of soils for human life;

 

• to achieve full recognition of the prominent contributions of soils to food security and nutrition, climate change adaptation and mitigation, essential ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and sustainable development;

 

• to promote effective policies and actions for the sustainable management and protection of soil resources;

 

• to sensitize decision-makers about the need for robust investment in sustainable soil management activities, to ensure healthy soils for different land users and population groups;

 

• to catalyze initiatives in connection with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Post-2015 development agenda;

 

1. The Action Plan was endorsed by members during the second Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly, and it will be updated periodically as more information becomes available during the year.

 

1. Permit me to  mention briefly some of the upcoming events that will highlight the implementation of the International Year of Soils:

 

• Third Global Soil Week, 19-23 April 2015, Berlin, Germany.

 

• Soil Governance Conference, 25-27 March 2015, Brasilia, Brazil.

 

• Conference on “Soil science in a changing world”, 23-27 August 2015, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

 

• 5th International Symposium on Soil Organic Matter, 20-24 September 2015, Gottingen, Germany.

 

• Simple and inexpensive kits for assessing the status of soils to be used by farmers in different regions will also be promoted.

 

FAO, together with the Global Soil Partnership, invites you to join forces and play an active role to ensure that soils receive the needed attention and that their relevance to sustainable development and to our future on Earth, is fully recognized and addressed in the post-2015 development agenda.

 

Thank you.