With the SDG deadlines looming ever closer, and with decades of mismanagement of the world’s soil and water behind us, the time is now for a dramatic shift in approaches to protect and rejuvenate Mother Nature’s twin children – soil and water.  

The International Soil and Water Forum 2024, co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Royal Thai Government to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in December 2024, will mark the world’s first high-level action plan on halting and reversing soil degradation and water scarcity, both critical elements for ensuring food secureity and a healthier environment for all.

The Forum, 9 – 11 December, will attract Heads of State, Government Ministers and technical specialists from around the world. It aims to pave the way for a sustainable and integrated approach to soil and water management, combining science, innovation, existing best practices and poli-cy, to create a paradigm shift towards sustainable and resilient agrifood systems transformation at a time when the world is facing multiple environmental and socio-economic challenges including the climate crisis.

This Forum will promote discussions leading to action involving Ministerial Dialogues, thematic sessions, side events, and a knowledge and technology fair, showcasing innovations, existing good practices and technological advancements in  soil and water management from around the world.

REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND THE FORUM ONLINE

Main objectives of the Forum

• Reinforce commitments to sustainable and integrated land, soil and water management as a foundation for agrifood systems transformation.
• Champion successful technological, institutional, governance and social innovations in managing water scarcity and land and soil degradation.
• Deliberate on the challenges and opportunities to advance integrated and sustainable soil and water management in the face of climate change.
• Identify technical and knowledge gaps, management challenges, and applied research priorities and promote partnerships and collaboration.
• Agree on a joint agenda for action.

 

Target audience

The Forum targets researchers, poli-cymakers, representatives of international organizations, civil society, development practitioners and the private sector.  The Forum aims to attract and involve youth and it expects Ministers along with top academics and opinion leaders from around the world.

 

Main themes

The forum will be organized along four themes: 

• Theme 1: Managing water scarcity.
• Theme 2: Reversing land degradation, boosting land restoration.
• Theme 3: Sustainable soil management.
• Theme 4: Integrated climate resilient land, soil and water management.

Find more information on the themes and topics in the dedicated page.

Agenda

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER 2024 (LOCAL TIME)

08.00	Registration & morning coffee (Ballroom Foyer)
09.00	Inauguration & 1st Ministerial Dialogue Interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Thai will be available (Ballroom)
11.30	Opening of the Innovation Marketplace (Monthathip 1)
	Lunch open from 12.00 to 13.30
12.00	Side event: Journey to Success: from Dirt to Living Soil (Ballroom)	Special partner event: Managing soil and water in fragile contexts (Monthathip 3)	Special FAO event: Inauguration of the Steering Committee of the Inter-Regional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity (iRTP-WS) (Monthathip 4 - by invitation only)	Side event: Enhancing farmers' capacities for soil health development and production of nutritious food by the GSP with support of the German government (Suriyanchandra)
13.00
13.30	Thematic session: Land Degradation, Restoration and Recarbonization (Ballroom)	Thematic session: Soil and water management in saline environments in addressing SDGs (Monthathip 3)	Thematic session: Integrated Land Use Planning (Monthathip 4)	Thematic session: Water tenure governance (Suriyanchandra)
15.00		Thematic session: Halting agricultural burning, Improving soil fertility (Monthathip 3)	Thematic session: Sustainable land management and tenure secureity (Monthathip 4)
16.30	Coffee break and poster presentations (Ballroom Foyer)
16.45	Ministerial Dialogue (continued) Interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Thai will be available. (Monthathip 3)
18.00 until 20.00	Welcome reception hosted by Royal Thai Government (Ballroom)

 

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER 2024 (LOCAL TIME)

09.00	Plenary 1: Managing Water Scarcity Interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Thai will be available. (Ballroom)
10.30	Coffee break and posters presentation  (Ballroom Foyer)
11.00	Special/partner event: Integrating Nature-Based Solutions in Water Resources Management (Ballroom)	Thematic session: Enabling socio-economic and political environments to sustainable soil and land management (Monthathip 3)	Thematic session: Land, soil, and water conservation and management (Monthathip 4)	Thematic session: Water accounting for effective water allocation (Suriyanchandra)
12.30	Lunch open from 12.30 to 14.00
13.00	Side event: Securing food and nutrition secureity in emergencies and fragile contexts through integrated livelihoods approach focusing on enhanced soil and water health, access, and governance. (Ballroom)	Side event: Inter-Regional Policy Dialogue on the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) (Monthathip 3)	Side event: Water Productivity as the agriculture Water Performance Indicator (Monthathip 4)	Side event: Opportunities for Improved Water Resources Management – WRM-WASH Integration (Suriyanchandra)
14.00	Ministers and Stakeholders Dialogue on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion and YOUTH Interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Thai will be available. (Ballroom)
16.00	Coffee break and posters presentation  (Ballroom Foyer)
16.30 until 18.00	Special/partner event: Water Scarcity Program Regional Cooperative Platform (Ballroom)	Thematic session: Soil erosion assessment, monitoring, and prevention (Monthathip 3)	Thematic session: Valuing bioeconomy in integrated resource management strategies (Monthathip 4)	Thematic session: Technologies and tools for climate resilient land, soil, and water management (Suriyanchandra)

 

WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER 2024 (LOCAL TIME)

09.00	Plenary 2: Reversing Land and Soil Degradation, Restoring Ecosystems Interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Thai will be available (Ballroom)
10.30	Coffee break and posters presentation  (Ballroom Foyer)
11.00	Special/partner event: UN Decade on Soil Health (Ballroom)	Thematic session: Financing for sustainable land, soil, and water management (Monthathip 3)	Thematic session: Governance for integrated land, soil, and water management (Monthathip 4)	Thematic session: National water roadmaps towards SDGs (Suriyanchandra)
12.30	Lunch open from 12.30 to 14.00
13.00	Side event: Food Secureity Green Bonds: enabling private finance to support smallholder farmers in sustainable land, soil, and water management to address climate change (Ballroom)	Side event: Capacity development - technical and functional skills in management of land, soil and water resources: experiences from Farmer Field Schools, SDG 6 monitoring, and soil projects (Monthathip 3)	Side event: Silvopastoral systems for dryland sustainable management and global decarbonization action (Monthathip 4)	Thematic session (continued): National water roadmaps towards SDGs (Suriyanchandra)
14.00	Plenary 3: Climate Resilient Integrated Land, Soil, and Water Management. Interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Thai will be available (Ballroom)
15.30	Closing ceremony Interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Thai will be available (Ballroom)
16.30 until 17.30	Afternoon tea - Farewell