Her Royal
Highness Princess Bajarakitiyabha has delivered the Royal Message of His
Majesty King Bhumibhol Adulyadej entitled “Healthy soils for ahealthy life” in
the first event to mark World Soil Day and to launch the
International Year of Soils 2015 at the United Nations Headquarters in New
York.
The event
took place on His Majesty the King’s birthday, 5 December 2014. The United
Nations has declared 5 December World Soil Day in honor of His Majesty the King
for his promotion of soil science and soil resource conservation.
The royal
message at the event emphasized the central role of soil to human survival.
Today, the world is confronted with 2 soils-related challenges: first, the
degradation of fertile soils due to wasteful use and mismanagement and second,
the problem of infertility in the types of soil making it unfit for
cultivation. These challenges have direct repercussions on global food security.
And in order to ensure food security and long-term sustainability of ecosystem,
they must be addressed as an urgent priority with the commitment to adopt the
best practices in soil conservation, soil reconditioning and enrichment to make
it fit and ready for cultivation.
On this
occasion, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Sam
Kutesa, President of the 69th session of the General Assembly, and Mr.
Martin Sajdik, President of the Economic and Social Council, sent their best
wishes and messages to be delivered at the event. H.E. Ms. Alya Ahmed Saif
Al-Thani, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United
Nations and Mr. Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and
Environment, United States Department of Agriculture delivered their remarks.
There were also VDO messages from Mr. José Graziano da Silva, Director General
of the Food and Agriculture Organization, and Ms. Monique Barbut,
Executive-Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
During
the interactive session, participants from Member States, United Nations
organizations, civil society organizations and other stakeholders
joined in to emphasize the problem of soil degradation which affects many
countries around the world and have direct repercussion of global food and
nutrition security. They also agreed that sustainable soil management is
central to conservation of soil quality and that climate change affects
geographical landscape and soil condition which require sound
management of soil.
(thailand.prd.go.th)