October 2013: With the formal inception of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) in December 2012 and its launch over the past year, the first GSP newsletter has been released documenting the achievements of the GSP Plenary Assembly and the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS).

The Plenary Assembly saw the adoption of the Rules of Procedure and the establishment of the ITPS. It also welcomed the development of Plans of Action for the five Pillars of the GSP, and the establishment of regional soil partnerships. The Assembly is likely to meet again in June 2014. The first meeting of the ITPS was held in July 2013, and the working group endorsed two Plans of Action, developed contributions to the post-2015 process, and produced the first version of the ‘Report on Status of World Soil Resources.’ The second meeting of the ITPS is expected in early 2014, with additional support provided by the GSP Secretariat.

The newsletter also highlights the endorsement of World Soil Day for 5 December by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Conference, as well as of the International Year of Soils 2015. It also describes efforts to launch regional soil partnerships in Central America and the Caribbean, Europe and Central Asia.

The GSP underscores the need to mobilize financial facilities for a ‘Healthy Soils Umbrella Programme,’ and invites partners to join working groups on Developing Plans of Action for GSP Pillars 1, 2, 3 and 5. [Publication: GSP October 2013 Newsletter] [GSP Fact Sheet]