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The “4 per 1000: soils for food security and the climate” Initiative (hereinafter the “Initiative”) was launched on 1st. December 2015 at COP21. The aim of the Initiative is to improve levels of organic matter and foster carbon sequestration in soils through the implementation of land management (agriculture, forestry, soil restoration, etc…) methods appropriate to local environmental, social and economic conditions. The initiative will develop both an action plan and an international research program, and will promote international (i.e. trans-regional and trans-continental) exchanges of experiences and learnings.

The Initiative reflects a common will to reinforce existing synergies and points of coherence between the three Rio Conventions, the Sustainable Development Goals adopted on 25 September 2015, the Committee on World Food Security and the Global Soil Partnership.

Recognition of the Initiative as one of the six initiatives of the agricultural component of the Lima Paris Agenda for Action (http://newsroom.unfccc.int/lpaa/) testifies to the priority assigned to the setting of ambitious targets for climate and food security. Its inclusion encourages a continuation of the mobilisation of state and non-state partners for implementation and follow-up of programmes generating practical impacts in terms of food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation.

By signing the declaration of intention in support of the Initiative (http://4p1000.org/page/3) over 160 organisations have agreed to “put in place a formal governance structure through an inclusive and transparent process, guaranteeing fair participation by the various stakeholders and taking into consideration the need to collaborate with existing, relevant initiatives by seeking synergies with them on soil health issues, wherever possible.”

The governance of the initiative will be set up at COP22 in Marrakech in the form of a Scientific and Technical Committee. The STC will comprise no more than 14 scientists or practionners, all recognised for their scientific or technical competence on topics relevant to the 4 per 1000 Initiative. STC members shall notably be competent in the following disciplines: soil sciences, the carbon cycle, agronomics, land tenures, livestock farming, forestry, economics, political sciences and sociology, with the following areas of application: food security, adaptation or mitigation to climate change, and development. The composition of the STC shall assign a significant role to expertise in the field. It shall take into account the world’s various regions and shall ensure a male-female balance.

For more information and to apply to be a member of the Scientific and Technical Committee, please refer to the attached call in pdf. Applications muct be received no later than 17:00 on Thursday 15th September 2016.

Photo credit: torange.biz

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