On 5th -7th December 2012 the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC/EC) jointly organized workshop on Global Soil Partnership in FAO Headquarters Rome, Italy.

The objective was to review the state of the art in regard to soil management across the world and within each region, drawing on participants knowledge of the status and trends in specific countries and contexts, practical experiences and case studies, including relevant processes or mechanisms that can be built on or scaled up to support sustainable soil management. The key workshop sessions covered:

I. Global and regional status challenges and priorities of soil management

II. Current status, trends and priorities of national soil management

III. Way forward: prioritization and preparation of joint plan of action.

Technical, institutional, financial and policy issues and constraints and opportunities were discussed as the basis for identifying priorities and future actions for a proposed Plan of Action for Pillar 1 of the Global Soil Partnership on Promoting sustainable management of soil resources worldwide.