July 2014: The third issue of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) Newsletter includes updates on: the second session of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS); preparation of the ‘Status of the World Soils Resources Report’ (SWSR); establishment of the Healthy Soils Facility; the GSP Plenary Assembly in July; launch of the educational Soils Badge; progress by Regional Soil Partnerships (RSPs); and upcoming events.

Introducing the newsletter, Moujahed Achouri, Director of the Land and Water Division at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO), describes the partnership’s activities and progress in 2014, noting remaining work to operationalize the GSP’s network of RSPs.

On the outcomes of the second session of the ITPS, held from 7-11 April 2014, the bulletin notes: endorsement of the Plans of Action for GSP Pillars 1, 2 and 5; agreement to prepare a brief on soils meant to support negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and agreement on a draft text of a revised World Soil Charter.

A “new seminal state-of-the-art assessment report” on the status of world soils resources is planned for publication on 5 December 2015, as a contribution to World Soil Day and as a major output from the 2014 International Year of Soils. In addition to serving as a source of reference on soils for multiple actors, the report will assess the status and trends of global soil resources, including threats to soil functions and related consequences.

Finally, the newsletter reports that the second GSP Plenary Assembly took place from 22-24 July 2014 at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, and that outcomes from the meeting will be relayed in the fourth edition of the newsletter scheduled for September-October 2014.

The GSP is a multi-stakeholder partnership that promotes the preservation of soils globally. The GSP Secretariat is hosted at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. [Third Issue of the GSP Newsletter] [All GSP Newsletters] [GSP Website] [Land Policy & Practice Articles on the GSP]