December 5. Rome. A ceremonial celebration of World Soil Day was held at the FAO Headquarters, which was established on the initiative of the Kingdom of Thailand as part of the Global Soil Partnership. The date of 5 December for WSD was chosen because it corresponds with the official birthday of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, who officially sanctioned the event. The event was attended by representatives of Member States, relevant international organizations, business and academia, as well as the media.

The Permanent Representative of Russia to the FAO and other UN Agencies in Rome V.L. Vasiliev, the FAO First Deputy Director General M.E.Semedo, as well as the Permanent Representative of Thailand to the FAO T. Thienssin delivered their welcoming remarks to the participants. This year, the main thematic focus of the event is on combating soil erosion to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The core event of the meeting was the presentation of the annual World Soil Prize named after the Russian soil scientist K.D.Glinka, established by the FAO in 2016 on the initiative and with the financial support of our country. This year's prize winner is prof. Xu Mingang from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.