U.N. honors World Soil Day with new stamps

By Denise McCarty

The United Nations Postal Administration is issuing a pane of stamps Dec. 5 for World Soil Day.

The pane includes 10 $1.20 stamps for use from the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City and 10 attached labels. The UNPA calls this a “personalized stamp sheet.”

The selvage surrounding the stamps and labels includes a two-paragraph summary of the day: “World Soil Day is commemorated annually on 5 December to highlight the importance of healthy soil and sustainable management of soil resources.

“It also corresponds with the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great of Thailand, who had dedicated himself to improving soil resources and advocating for sustainable soil management and soil conservation throughout his 70-year reign.”

The selvage also shows a rice terrace in the village of Ban Pa Pong Pi in Thailand.

There are five different stamp designs, with each design appearing twice in the pane. In its bulletin for collectors, Fascination (issue No. 133), the UNPA describes these designs as “illustrations composed in soil to reflect the indispensable role of soil in sustaining all lives on earth.”

The stamp designs also show fauna and flora: a fish, elephants, a butterfly, a tree and grain on the stalk, respectively.

Each label has a different design representing one of the 17 U.N. sustainable development goals “whose achievement are linked and attributed to healthy soils,” according to the UNPA.

Thaneth Ponchaiwong of Thailand designed the stamps. The UNPA does not typically provide printing details for its personalized stamp sheets.

For ordering information, visit the UNPA website; email unpanyinquiries@un.org; telephone 212-963-7684 or 800-234-8672; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900.

The UNPA has posted a notice on its website saying that orders may be delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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