On 21 April, the first working meeting of the International Network on Soil Erosion (INSER), under the framework of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), was held online. Prof. Baoyuan Liu and Prof. Fei Wang, the deputy Presidents of WASWAC, were elected as the Chair of the first and the third Technical Working Group of INSER. They will lead global efforts in the fields of measuring, modelling and mapping, economic valuation, legislation and policy.

In their candidacy presentation, they systematically outlined work proposals, which received wide recognition from all participants.

Hosted by the FAO Land and Water Division, the meeting gathered representatives across seven global regions: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Near East and North Africa, and the Pacific region.

On 15 September 2025, GSP officially launched the INSER during the 6th WASWAC World Conference in Rabat, Morocco. INSER was established in response to the 2019 Global Symposium on Soil Erosion, which called for a coordinated global platform to improve assessment, mitigation, and policy integration related to soil erosion, one of the most urgent but often under-addressed environmental threats. The decision to establish the INSER network was endorsed by the GSP Plenary Assembly in June 2025.

By joining scientists, policymakers, and institutions, INSER strengthens the GSP’s network, expanding it from seven to eight technical networks, and contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goal 15.3 on land degradation neutrality.