The Global Symposium on Soil Pollution will serve as a step towards implementing the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management. It will focus on preventing and reducing harmful substances in soil as a way to maintain healthy soils and food safety in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Symposium will aim to provide scientific evidence to support actions and decisions to prevent and reduce soil pollution for increased food security and nutrition, and ecosystem services, and promote the remediation of polluted sites.

The specific objectives of the Symposium are to: examine the current scientific and technical understanding of soil pollution and its effects on food production and safety; critically reflect on the impact of land (and air and water) use decisions at the national level on soil pollution; identify limitations and prioritize key challenges related to restoring polluted sites; review existing international policies, agreements and frameworks addressing sources of pollution to agricultural land; and survey and review the use of soil thresholds for pollutants globally and explore additional research and policy needs.

The SDG Knowledge Hub summary of the decision by the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) to endorse the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM) is here.

dates: 2-4 May 2018
venue: FAO Headquarters
location: Rome, Lazio, Italy
www: http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/global-symposium-on-soil-pollution/en/