Revised World Soil Charter.

 

Healthy soils are a basic prerequisite to meeting varied needs for food, biomass (energy), fiber, fodder, and other products, and to ensuring the provision of essential ecosystem services in all regions of the world. However, humankind is facing unprecedented pressures on soil resources. In particular, soil degradation of various types including sealing due to fast urbanization are taking their heavy toll, threatening food security and ecological balance. With the Sustainable Development Goals currently under consideration and soon to be implemented, it is fundamental to ensure sustainable management of soils in order to make these goals a reality. Fortunately, there is recognition of the need to act more forcefully at all levels, nationally, regionally and internationally in order to reverse alarming trends and to maintain the healthy soils required for feeding growing populations . Most symbolically, the General Assembly of the United Nations has formally endorsed the celebration of World Soil Day on every 5th December and declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS), both platforms leading to much enhanced awareness among policy makers and the public at large beyond 2015. As the conservation of soil resources is at the core of FAO’s mandate, its Governing Bodies have sought to address this major issue and mobilize the energies of all stakeholders through novel instruments and approaches. One of them is the Global Soil Partnership (GSP), which was established by the FAO Council in December 2012 and has been in operation since then. Being of a voluntary nature, the GSP is a coalition of willing partners with the challenging mission of improving governance of limited soil resources and ensuring healthy and productive soils for a food secure world. Under the aegis of the GSP and its scientific advisory body, the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils, the revision of the World Soil Charter (WSC), a policy instrument adopted by the FAO Conference as far back as November 1981 was carried out. Indeed, 30 years is a long period of time in a fast evolving world. Therefore, it was particularly opportune to update the vision and guiding principles as spelled out in the original WSC, especially with respect to new issues that emerged or were exacerbated during the last decades, like soil pollution and its consequences for the environment, climate change adaptation and mitigation and urban sprawl impacts on soil availability and functions. The reformulation process involved extensive consultations and culminated in the unanimous endorsement of the revised World Soil Charter by the FAO Conference at its 39th session in June 2015. It was most fitting that this landmark decision took place during the IYS. The Charter contains a number of key principles and general guidelines for the benefit of major stakeholder groups so as to chart the required policy measures and action programmes to guarantee sustainable management of soils in all regions and countries.

Joe Graziano Da Silva, FAO Director General

Read the full charter!