The ITPS is composed of 27 top soil experts representing all world regions. From 2013-2018, the ITPS revised the World Soil Charter, published the Status of the World's Soil Resources report, and developed the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management. Looking ahead, the ITPS will contribute to GSP implementation plans, update the soil resources report by 2025, and organize a symposium on soil pollution in 2018. The ITPS membership is renewed every three years, with approximately half of members replaced.

1. Work of the Intergovernmental
Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS)
Peter de Ruiter (Netherlands)
Rainer Horn (Germany)
also on behalf of
Luca Montanarella (EU Commission)
Gunay Erpul (Turkey)
Pavel Krasilnikov (Russian Federation)

2. ‘Europe’ in GSP
European
Group
European delegation
within the

3. Contents
• What is ITPS?
• What did ITPS do (2013-2018)?
• Future plans 2018-…
• Plenary Assembly GSP June, 2018

4. The Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) was established at the
first Plenary Assembly of the Global Soil Partnership held at FAO Headquarters
on 11 and 12 of June, 2013.
The ITPS is composed of 27 top soil experts representing all the regions of the
world.
ITPS

5. NORTH AMERICA
• Mr. Dan Pennock (Canada)2
• Mr. Gary M. Pierzynsky (United States of
America)2
EUROPE
Chair: Mr. Luca Montanarella (EC)2
• Mr. Gunay Erpul (Turkey)2
• Mr. Rainer Horn (Germany)
• Mr. Peter de Ruiter (The Netherlands)
• Mr. Pavel Krasilnikov (Russian
Federation)
AFRICA
• Mr. Nsalambi V. Nkongolo (Democratic
Republic of Congo)3
• Mr. Bhanooduth Lalljee (Mauritius)
• Mr. Martin Yemefack (Cameroon)
• Ms. Isaurinda dos Santos Baptista Costa
(Cape Verde)
• Ms. Botle Mapeshoane (Lesotho)
ASIA
• Mr. Patiram Brajendra (India)
• Mr. Sopon Chomchan (Thailand)
• Mr. Kazuyuki Yagi (Japan)
• Mr. Bahriuloom Amanullah (Pakistan)1
• Mr. Gan-Lin Zhang (China)
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
• Mr. Juan Antonio Comerma (Venezuela)
• Mr. Miguel Taboada (Argentina)1
• Ms. Maria de Lourdes Mendonca Santos
Breffin (Brazil)
• Mr. Fernando Garcia Préchach (Uruguay)
• Ms. Oneyda Hernandez Lara (Cuba)
NEAR EAST
• Mr. Talal Darwish (Lebanon)
• Mr. Ahmad S. Muhaimeed (Iraq)
• Mr. Saéb AbdelHaleem Khresat (Jordan)
SOUTH WEST PACIFIC
• Mr. Neil McKenzie (Australia)
• Mr. Siosiua Halavatau (Tonga)
Composition of the ITPS

6. The ITPS have the following functions:
• provide scientific and technical advice on global soil issues (primarily to the GSP),
• advocate for the inclusion of sustainable soil management into different development agendas,
• review and follow up the role soil in the contexts of food security, use and management of natural
resources, ecosystem services provision, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and other
relevant areas,
• Review, endorse from a technical viewpoint, and follow up on the implementation of the GSP Plans of
Action,
• in exceptional cases, when complex technical matters arise, request the Plenary Assembly and the
Secretariat to form technical committees aiming to gather specific advice.

7. IPCC
• ITPS is a ‘formal observer’ of IPCC
• ITPS and IPCC organized the Global Soil Organic Carbon
Symposium in 2017
IPBES
• ITPS contributed to the Land Degradation and Restoration
Assessment
UNCCD-SPI
• Together UNCCD-SPI and ITPS established the Global Soil
Organic Carbon map (SDG 15.3 Sub-Indicator)
• ITPS contributed to the Global Soil Erosion Assessment
4pour1000
• ITPS is ‘formal observer’ in the 4pour1000 Committee for
Science and Technology
Cooperation with other international
advisory bodies

8. Contents
• What is ITPS?
• What did ITPS do (2013-2018)?
• Future plans 2018-…
• Plenary Assembly GSP June, 2018

9. Main ITPS activities and outcomes
• Revised World Soil Charter (2015)
• Status of the World Soil Resources Report (2015)
• Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (2017)
• Organisation of the first Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon (May 21-23, 2017)
• Organisation of the first Global Symposium on Soil Pollution (May 2-4, 2018)
• Assessment at global level of the impact of Plant Protection Products on soil functions
and soil ecosystems (2018)
• Supporting the implementation of the GSP Plans of Action and the development of
Regional Implementation Plans (ongoing)

10. • The World Soil Charter (WSC) is a policy instrument adopted by
the FAO (1981).
• After more than 30 years an update was necessary to
• address new soil management related issues, such as
pollution, climate change and urban sprawl;
• relate soil properties to soil ecosystem functions and
services.
Revised World Soil Charter (2015)

11. • The Status of the World’s Soil Resources Report (SSWSR, 650 pp)
is a reference document on the status of global soil resources.
• The information is based on peer-reviewed scientific literature,
complemented with expert knowledge.
• It provides a ranking of ten major soil threats that endanger
ecosystem functions, goods and services globally and in each
region separately.
• It describes direct and indirect pressures on soils and ways to
combat soil degradation.
• The report contains a Synthesis report (94 pp) for policy makers
that summarizes its findings, conclusions and recommendations.
Status of the World’s Soil Resources Report (2015)

12. • The Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management
(VGSSM) provide technical and policy recommendations on
how sustainable soil management can be achieved.
• The successful implementation of these guidelines should
pave the way to boost soil health.
• The guidelines were adopted by the 4th GSP Plenary
Assembly (Rome, 25 May 2016), approved by the 25th
session of the FAO Committee on Agriculture (Rome, 28
September 2016) and finally endorsed by the 155th session
of the FAO Council (Rome, 5 December 2016).
Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management
(2017)

13. Assessment at global level of the impact of Plant
Protection Products on soil functions and soil ecosystems
(2017)
• The Assessment of Plant Protection Products on Soil
Functions and Soil Ecosystems (APPPS) include
analyses and recommendations regarding how to
deal with:
– Pesticide effects on Soil Organisms
– Pesticide effects on Water Quality
– Pesticides and Erosion Control
• Was released on 2017 World Soil Day (Dec 5th)

14. Products:

15. Contents
• What is ITPS?
• What did ITPS do (2013-2018)?
• Future plans 2018-…
• Plenary Assembly GSP June, 2018

16.  ITPS created five working groups for each GSP pillar to contribute to the global and
regional implementation plans;
 ITPS will prepare an update of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources Report (2025);
 ITPS will guide the completion of the new Global Soil Organic Carbon Map by 2018;
 Along the recommendations of the GSP plenary assembly, the ITPS will explore the
possibility of elaborating a study on the economic benefits of SSM for farmers and other
land users. This study could be released by 2020-21, before the second SWSRR in 2025.
 Organize, together with other relevant UN panels and organizations, a Global Symposium
on Soil Pollution to be held in March 2018.
Work Programme 2018-

17. Products:
To be decided To be decidedTo be decided

18. Preparation of the 2nd “Status of the
World’s Soil Resources” report 2025
• Section 6: Regional dimension:
– Africa - Botle Mapeshoane (Lesotho)
– Asia – Brajendra (India)
– Europe – Rainer Horn (Germany)
– Latin America and the Caribbean –
Juan Comerma (Venezuela)
– Near East & North Africa – Talal
Darwish (Lebanon)
– North America – Dan Pennock
(Canada)
– South West Pacific (and Antarctica) –
Siosiua Halavatau (Tonga)
• Conclusions – All EB members
18
• Introduction – All EB members
• Section 1: Soil organic carbon –
Miguel Taboada (Argentina)
• Section 2: Soil erosion – Gunay
Erpul (Turkey)
• Section 3: Nutrient depletion –
Gary Pierzinski (USA)
• Section 4: Soil biodiversity –
Peter de Ruiter (The
Netherlands)
• Section 5: Soil information
challenges – Neil McKenzie
(Australia)

19. Contents
• What is ITPS?
• What did ITPS do (2013-2018)?
• Future plans 2018-…
• Plenary Assembly GSP June, 2018

20. Rules of Procedure ITPS
• ITPS members can serve two terms of 3 years.
• Every three years, approximately 50% of the members is replaced
by new members.

21. NORTH AMERICA
• Mr. Dan Pennock (Canada)
• Mr. Gary M. Pierzynsky (United States of
America)2
EUROPE
Chair: Mr. Luca Montanarella (EC)
• Mr. Gunay Erpul (Turkey)2
• Mr. Rainer Horn (Germany)
• Mr. Peter de Ruiter (The Netherlands)
• Mr. Pavel Krasilnikov (Russian
Federation)
AFRICA
• Mr. Nsalambi V. Nkongolo (Democratic
Republic of Congo)
• Mr. Bhanooduth Lalljee (Mauritius)
• Mr. Martin Yemefack (Cameroon)
• Ms. Isaurinda dos Santos Baptista Costa
(Cape Verde)
• Ms. Botle Mapeshoane (Lesotho)
ASIA
• Mr. Patiram Brajendra (India)
• Mr. Sopon Chomchan (Thailand)
• Mr. Kazuyuki Yagi (Japan)
• Mr. Bahriuloom Amanullah (Pakistan)
• Mr. Gan-Lin Zhang (China)
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
• Mr. Juan Antonio Comerma (Venezuela)
• Mr. Miguel Taboada (Argentina)
• Ms. Maria de Lourdes Mendonca Santos
Breffin (Brazil)
• Mr. Fernando Garcia Préchach (Uruguay)
• Ms. Oneyda Hernandez Lara (Cuba)
NEAR EAST
• Mr. Talal Darwish (Lebanon)
• Mr. Ahmad S. Muhaimeed (Iraq)
• Mr. Saéb AbdelHaleem Khresat (Jordan)
SOUTH WEST PACIFIC
• Mr. Neil McKenzie (Australia)
• Mr. Siosiua Halavatau (Tonga)

22. Thank you for your interest!
http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/en/