This document provides an overview of activities undertaken by the Global Soil Partnership's Near East and North Africa regional partnership. It summarizes capacity building trainings on digital soil mapping and soil organic carbon mapping held in Jordan, Morocco, and the Netherlands. It also notes the first meeting of the Soil Atlas for Asia editorial board in the Philippines. Overall, it concludes that countries in the region need to more actively participate in GSP activities, establish working groups for the five pillars of action, and finalize the governance and regional implementation plan at an upcoming plenary meeting.

1. Regional overview
By Lucrezia Caon
GSP Secretariat

2. All documents are available at http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/regional-partnerships/nena/en/
Amman Communiqué: 2012 NENA Recommendation: 2014
Establishment of the partnership

3. 1.1 Areas exposed to different types of soil
degradation are identified and necessary actions
proposed
1.2 Soil rehabilitation programs are implemented
1.3 Soil monitoring system are established
2.1 A strategy for the enhancement of financial and
political support is designed and implemented
2.2 technical cooperation is promoted
2.3 Awareness of land users, investors and
developers on SSM and the SDG is promoted
2.4 Education in soil science is promoted and
extension programs are activated
3.1 Multidisciplinary regional and national research
programs for adaptation and up scaling of SSM
practices are established
3.2 Sustainable soil research and development
policy are formulated
3.3 A regional soil research platform is set up
All documents are available at http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/regional-partnerships/nena/en/
2015

4. 4.1 Soil information system for the NENA region is
established and integrated with GEOSS
4.2 Capacities for the assessment and monitoring of
land degradation are developed
4.3 Tools and guidelines to create soil information
are established with proper training
5.1 Harmonize procedures and guidelines on
methods of soil description, sampling and analysis
5.2 Land degradation assessment and soil
conservation measures are harmonized
5.3 Land evaluation and land suitability
assessment are standardized and harmonized
5.4 Procedures of soil classification and
assessment sheets are harmonized
All documents are available at http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/regional-partnerships/nena/en/
2015

5. 2015

7. Implemented activities
• Implementation of the VGSSM (underway)
• Inputs on the revised World Soil Charter were submitted

8. Implemented activities
• Implementation of the VGSSM
• Inputs on the revised World Soil Charter were submitted
I. Promote sustainable soil management that is relevant to the range of soils present and the needs of the country.
II. Strive to create socio-economic and institutional conditions favourable to sustainable soil management by removal of obstacles. Ways and means should be pursued to overcome obstacles to the
adoption of sustainable soil management associated with land tenure, the rights of users, access to financial services and educational programmes. Reference is made to the Voluntary Guidelines on the
Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Forests and Fisheries in the Context of National Food Security adopted by the Committee on World Food Security in May 2012.
III. Participate in the development of multi-level, interdisciplinary educational and capacity-building initiatives that promote the adoption of sustainable soil management by land users.
IV. Support research programmes that will provide sound scientific backing for development and implementation of sustainable soil management relevant to end-users.
V. Incorporate the principles and practices of sustainable soil management into policy guidance and legislation at all levels of government, ideally leading to the development of a national soil policy.
VI. Explicitly consider the role of soil management practices in planning for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change and maintaining biodiversity.
VII. Establish and implement regulations to limit the accumulation of contaminants beyond established levels to safeguard human health and wellbeing and facilitate remediation of contaminated soils that
exceed these levels where they pose a threat to humans, plants, and animals.
VIII. Develop and maintain a national soil information system and contribute to the development of a global soil information system.
IX. Develop a national institutional framework for monitoring implementation of sustainable soil management and overall state of soil resources.

9. Implemented activities
• Celebration of the World Soil day
• Presentation of the Global Soil Doctors Programme

10. Implemented activities
• First meeting of the Editorial Board of the Soil Atlas for Asia
(March 2018, Manila, the Philippines)

11. Implemented activities
• First meeting of the Editorial Board of the Soil Atlas for Asia
(March 2018, Manila, the Philippines)

12. Implemented activities
• First meeting of the Editorial Board of the Soil Atlas for Asia
(March 2018, Manila, the Philippines)
Members of the Editorial Board Country Affiliation
Ms. Ismahane Elouafi United Arab Emirates ICBA
Mr. Claudio Zucca Jordan ICARDA
Registered contributing authors
Talal Darwish Lebanon
Mahmoud Alferihat Jordan
Jawad Taleb Al -Bakri Jordan
Ahmad S Muhaimmed Iraq
Hussam Husein Syria
Hamdan Salem Oman
Imad Ghanma Palestine
Mohammed Hezam Yemen
Hussain Fahad Al Ajmi Saudi Arabia
Dr. Shabbir Ahmad Shahid United Arab Emirates
Ilan Stavi (Israel)

13. Implemented activities
• First meeting of the Editorial Board of the Soil Atlas for Asia
(March 2018, Manila, the Philippines)
The Atlas will contain nine key chapters, plus annexes,
addressing
•An Introduction
•The Soils of Asia
•Maps
•Geographical perspectives
•Issues affection soils in Asia
•Measures to combat soil degradation
•National summaries
•Policies, education and outreach
1.Conclusions
Details on the table of content are in the meeting report I shared with
the Editorial Board and contributing authors

14. • Capacity Development on Digital Soil Mapping
29 November – 7 December 2015, Amman, Jordan
Implemented activities
• Capacity development training

15. • DSM training and soil carbon modelling
10 – 14 October 2016, Rabat, Morocco
Implemented activities
• Capacity development training

16. Implemented activities
• Capacity development training
• Digital Soil Organic Carbon Mapping
6 - 23 June 2017, Wageningen, the Netherlands

17. • Digital Soil Organic Carbon Mapping
20 – 24 January 2018, Tehran, Iran
Implemented activities
• Capacity development training

18. Implemented activities
• Participation in the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Registered labs
Country Number of registered labs
Algeria 0
Bahrain 1
Egypt 0
Iran 0
Iraq 4
Jordan 0
Kuwait 0
Lebanon 0
Libya 0
Morroco 1
Oman 0
Palestine 1
Qatar 0
Saudi Arabia 0
Syria 1
Sudan 1
Tunisia 1
United Arab Emirates 0
Yemen 1

19. Overall conclusions
• Need for a more active participation and response to GSP and NENA
oriented activities
- Celebrate the World Soil Day
- Implement the Global Soil Doctors
Programme
- Implement the VGSSM
- Respond to global calls
- Participate in the writing of the
Soil Atlas of Asia
- Improve national SOC
maps and databases
- Join the International
Network of Soil
Information Institutions
(INSII): at least 1
representative per country
- Join GLOSOLAN (no
RESOLAN-NENA if only a
few laboratories register)

20. Overall conclusions
•Need to establish working groups on the 5 GSP Pillars of Action. Working
groups should be composed of experts:
 Competent on the topics of the Pillar at hand
 Speak English or any other language broadly used and understood in
the region
 Are active and in good contact to their National Focal Point
Link to the need to appoint Chairs for the 5 Pillars of Action that are:
 Competent on the topic of their Pillar
 Speak English (they need to discuss with the Chairs for their Pillar
from other regions – global working groups)
 Have good communication and networking skills
 Are active and able to coordinate and monitor the execution of
the work within their working group

21. Status of the Working Groups
Pillar 1 Pillar 2 Pillar 3 Pillar 4 Pillar 5
Mr Hassen Chourabi
(Tunisia)
Co-Chair
Mme Rafla
Attia (Tunisia)
Vacant
Mr. Yousif Kotb Al
Ghonemy Mohamed
(Egypt)
Mr. Rachid
Moussadek
(Morocco) Mr. Imad Ghanma
(Palestine)
Algeria
Bahrain
Egypt
Iran (Islamic
Republic of)
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Morocco
Oman
Palestine
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
(Kingdom of)
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
United Arab
Emirates
Yemen

22. Objectives of the Fourth NENA Plenary Meeting
The fourth NENA workshop will take place on 13 June 2018 to:
Review and confirm the governance of the partnership
Finalize the working groups for the 5 Pillars of the GSP
Review the NENA regional implementation plan
Agree on the activities for immediate execution in 2018-2020
Link to global priorities and decisionsBuild on national and regional needs

23. Thanks for
your attention