April 21, 2022 – The Chair of Asian Soil Partnership of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and
DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM) Director Engr. Pablo M. Montalla gives a
opening remarks to all local and international participants of the Soils Governance, Land
Degradation Neutrality and Food Security Webinar.

Director Montalla shared that conservation, restoration, and proper management of land resources
is an integral part in attaining food security and ending poverty in the world. Furthermore, he
emphasized that the solution to the land degradation does not only lie on the mitigation
technologies but also roots to the appropriate policies and regulatory approaches that touch on soil
governance.

Comprehensive discussion on soil management, degradation neutrality, and innovative regulatory
approaches on soil governance on food security are among the objectives of the webinar.

The said webinar were organized by Asian Research Institute for Environmental Law (ARIEL),
World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL); German Environment Agency –
Umweltbundesamt (UBA), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the support of The
Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law, University of New England, The Law Association for Asia
and Pacific (LAWASIA), and The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).