Seventh working session for the second panel of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS), 30 October - 3 November 2017, FAO Hq, Rome. ITPS provides scientific and technical advice and guidance on global soil issues to the Global Soil Partnership primarily and to specific requests submitted by global or regional institutions and advocates for addressing sustainable soil management in the different sustainable development agendas. Presentation by Lucrezia Caon, FAO.

2. Global Symposium on
Soil Pollution
GSOCP 18
Lucrezia Caon
GSPSecretariat

3. “...The PA further endorsed the organization of a
Global Symposium on Soil Contamination and
Pollution in April 2018
jointly with other relevant UN organizations and panels.”
5th Meeting of the
GSP Plenary Assembly

4. Confirmed dates:
2-4 May 2018
GSOP 18 | ORGANIZATION

5. First step in implementing the Voluntary Guidelines
for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM) in
terms of PREVENTING AND REDUCING HARMFUL
SUBSTANCES IN SOIL as a way to maintain healthy
soils and food safety in accordance with the
Sustainable Development Goals.
GSOP 18 | MAIN AIM
1. Examine the current scientific and technical
understanding of soil pollution
2. Reflect on the impact of land use decisions at
the national level related to mining, and
intensive agriculture and livestock production
3. Identify limitations and prioritize key
challenges related to restoring polluted sites
4. Review existing international policies,
agreements and frameworks addressing sources
of pollution to agricultural land to assess their
effectiveness
5. Survey and review the use of soil thresholds
globally while exploring new fields of research
and policy needs
GSOP18 | OBJECTIVES

6. GSOP 18
THEME
& SUB
THEMES
FAO Headquarter, Rome | Italy
20 – 22 May 2018

7. CORE QUESTIONS:
1.How does land use and urban planning influence the type and
amount of pollutants in agricultural soils?
2.Are guidelines on organic and mineral fertilizers needed to
reduce the risk of soil pollution on agricultural fields?
3.How can farmers assess the economic balance of their
farming systems?
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SOURCES OF POLLUTION
IMPACTS ON NEARBY ECOSYSTEMS
THEME 1
SOIL POLLUTION ON
AGRICULTURAL FIELDS
SUB-THEME 1.1
ON AGRICULTURAL FIELDS
DRIVERS OF SOIL POLLUTION
SUB-THEME 1.2
AND OFF-SITE IMPACTS
ASSESSING ITS ON-SITE
CORE QUESTIONS:
1.What is the impact of polluted agricultural soils on nearby or
downstream ecosystems?
2.What is the impact of metabolites, additives for pesticide
formulations and their residues on soil quality?
SDGs
3, 6, 9,
11

8. CORE QUESTIONS:
1.What is the impact of antibiotic residues and AMR organisms
in soil amendments and industrial waste on the microbial
ecology in soils and soil-mediated ecosystem services?
SOIL POLLUTION AFFECTS HUMAN WELL-BEING BY
COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF THE SOIL TO PRODUCE
SAFE AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD
THEME 2
IMPACT ON FOOD
PRODUCTION, SAFETY,
ENVIRONMENT AND
HUMAN WELL-BEING
SUB-THEME 2.2
RESISTANCE
ANTI- MICROBIAL
SUB-THEME 2.1
FOOD SECURITY
THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF
CORE QUESTIONS:
1.How does it affect long-term food production, safety and
nutrition, future scenarios?
2.How does it influence the quality and safety of the food we
eat?
SDGs
2 & 3

9. THEME 3RESTORATION
OF POLLUTED SITES
CORE QUESTIONS:
1.What are the limitations to mapping soil pollution and
drawing future scenarios?
2.To what extent can bio-indicators be used for
mapping, monitoring and modeling soil pollution?
INCREASED EFFORTS TO MAP, MONITOR AND MODEL
SOIL POLLUTION WITH THE PURPOSE OF PREVENTING
AND RESTORING POLLUTED SITES
SUB-THEME 3.1
MODELLING SOIL POLLUTION
MAPPING, MONITORING
SUB-THEME 1.2
AND OFF-SITE IMPACTS
ASSESSING ITS ON-SITE
CORE QUESTIONS:
1.What are the criteria that determine whether a polluted
site can be restored to productivity?
2.To what extent can polluted sites be restored for safe
food production?
3.Which tools/technologies can be used to increase the
rehabilitation of polluted sites?
SDGs 15

10. CORE QUESTIONS:
1.What are the gaps in the existing international tools
and frameworks on soil pollution and how can they be
filled?
2.Is the setting of thresholds for soil pollutants
necessary as part of policy development?
3.Is the development of a governance document or
guidelines for the use and disposal of organic and
mineral fertilizers needed in relation to AMR and other
pollutants to enhance food and water safety?
REVIEW OF THE EXISTING INTERNATIONAL TOOLS AND
FRAMEWORKS, OUTLINING ACTIONS FOR FILLING
EVENTUAL GAPS
THEME 4
DEVELOPING POLICIES
TO PREVENT AND CONTROL

11. CORE QUESTIONS:
1.What is the importance of setting thresholds for soil
pollutants?
2.Based on which criteria should thresholds be
established?
COMPOUNDS, SCALE OF APPLICABILITY (I.E. LOCAL, REGIONAL
OR GLOBAL) AND HOW THESE SHOULD BE ORGANIZED BY SOIL
TYPE, BY POLLUTANT, BY LAND USE
THEME 5
SETTING THRESHOLD
FOR SOIL POLLUTANTS

12. GSOP 18 | EXPECTED OUTPUT
• Developing the outline of guidelines for organic and mineral fertilizers application.
• Identifying core elements for writing guidelines on the development of policies on soil pollution
(soil and water conservation measures) and the remediation of polluted sites.
• Strengthening the implementation of chemical and waste conventions such as the Basel,
Rotterdam and the Stockholm conventions.
• Developing the outline of a publication on pollutant thresholds. In this regard, the symposium
should provide indications on the structure (thresholds organized by soil type, pollutant, land use,
etc.) and scale (local, regional or global) of the publication.
• Documenting the status of soil contamination by fertilizers, pesticides and AMR, and the adverse
effects of pesticides on organisms in soil and water.
• Publishing a special issue on soil pollution and food security in a high impact scientific journal.
• Identifying the status of soil contamination by fertilizers, pesticides and AMU, and the adverse
effects of pesticides on organisms in soil and water.

13. Organization of the symposium: What was done so far?
- Writing of the concept note and its review by ITPS and FAO experts on the
topic; [done]
- Submission of the concept note to the ODG;
[clearance obtained last week]
- Writing of the invitation letters to potential co-organizers;
[done, invitation letters about to be sent]
- Booking of the meeting rooms and confirmation of the dates; [done]
- Preparation of the visual identity and other promotional material; [undergoing]
- Mobilization of financial resources; [undergoing]
- Inclusion of the symposium at high-level side events, e.g. UNEA3. [done]

14. Organization of the symposium: next steps
- Confirmation of the co-organizing bodies;
- Establishment of the Organizing Committee and Scientific Committee;
- Development of the Symposium agenda;
- Launch of the GSOP website;
- Create a GSOP18 email address;
- Open a call for abstract (thereafter, selection of oral presentations and
posters);
- Identification of keynote speakers;
- Writing of a booklet on soil contamination/pollution (as it was done for SOC);
- Identification of a journal on which to publish a special issue (editor to be
chosen within the ITPS);
- It would be desirable to have a proceedings of abstracts.

15. MARKETING
WEBDESIGN SUPPORT
GSOP 18 | PROMOTION