28 September 2016: The 25th session of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM) proposed by the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and considered, among other issues: the draft Strategy for FAO’s Work on Climate Change; the governance structure of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock; and the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020.

Other issues on the COAG Agenda included: follow-up to the second International Conference on Nutrition (INC 2); an update on FAO’s work on antimicrobial resistance; the International Year of Pulses; agricultural innovation for sustainable rural development; and agriculture and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. COAG also discussed its Multi-year Programme of Work, and proposals for a world bee day and an international year of plant health.

Speaking at the opening of the session, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva underlined the importance of sustainable agriculture to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty, as well as to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts, noting that “agriculture is at the very heart” of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

On the draft Strategy for FAO’s Work on Climate Change, participants discussed whether the outcomes formulated in the Strategy are consistent with the COAG mandate and FAO’s Vision and Goals; and provided feedback on the Strategy’s suitability to guide FAO technical expertise and delivery at the country and global levels. A revised strategy will be considered by the 155th session of the FAO Conference to be held in December 2016.

On the GSP, COAG reviewed the reports of the third and fourth sessions of the GSP General Assembly, held in June 2015 and May 2016 respectively, including the VGSSM adopted at the fourth session. The VGSSM provides general technical and policy recommendations on sustainable soil management for a wide range of stakeholders. COAG 25 endorsed the VGSSM, which will now be submitted to the FAO Conference for final adoption by FAO member countries.

As one of FAO’s Governing Bodies, COAG provides policy and regulatory guidance on agriculture, livestock, food safety, nutrition, rural development, and natural resources management. COAG sessions are held bi-annually. COAG 25 took place from 26-30 September 2016, at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The report of COAG 25 will be made available on the FAO website [FAO Press Release] [UN Press Release] [GSP Press Release] [FAO COAG 25 Website] [COAG 25 Provisional Agenda] [IISD RS Story on FAO’s Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance]