29 April 2015
ITPS Working Session Endorses Inaugural Global Soil Status Report
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The 3rd Working Session of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS), which took place from 13-17 April 2015 in Potsdam, Germany, finalized and endorsed the first 'Status of the World's Soil Resources Report,' which will be launched on 5 December 2015 during celebrations of the International Year of Soils 2015.

globalsoilpartnership22 April 2015: The 3rd Working Session of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS), which took place from 13-17 April 2015, in Potsdam, Germany, finalized and endorsed the first ‘Status of the World’s Soil Resources Report,’ which will be launched on 5 December 2015 during celebrations of the International Year of Soils 2015.

For the first time since its establishment, a working session of the ITPS convened outside the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). The meeting was hosted by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) as part of preparations for the 3rd Global Soil Week, which took place from 20-23 April 2015 in Berlin, Germany. The 3rd ITPS Working Session developed a common position on collaboration between ITPS and other multilateral science-policy bodies such as the Science Policy Interface (SPI) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). ITPS subsequently convened its first-ever joint session with the SPI during the Global Soil Week.

Among other outputs, the session developed a proposal on soil-related indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and endorsed Pillar 3 of its five Plans of Action, which addresses soil research and development, and synergies with related productive, environmental and social development actions. The meeting also reviewed progress on the other Pillars, namely: Pillar 1 on sustainable management of soil resources for soil protection, conservation and sustainable productivity; Pillar 2 on investment, technical cooperation, policy, education awareness and extension; Pillar 4 on enhancing the quantity and quality of soil data and information; and Pillar 5 on harmonization of methods, measurements and indicators for the sustainable management and protection of soil resources.

With the current ITPS term coming to an end in 2015, members reflected on their experiences since their appointment in 2013, as a contribution to the GSP Plenary Assembly in June 2015, which will appoint the next panel of 27 experts. [Third ITPS Working Session] [GSP Call for ITPS Experts] [Land Policy & Practice Story on Soil Carbon Uniting Post-2015 Land, Soil and Climate Agendas] [3rd GSP Plenary Assembly]


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