Third United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 16 – 19 November 2026
The third United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (3rd UNWGIC) is convened at a time when technological advances are moving at unpredictable and unprecedented pace, impacting lives and livelihoods, yet offering opportunities for a very different future. The global geospatial community must prepare and respond in ways that align with this new reality. This technological renaissance also creates and unearths challenges and solutions that require attention, while contributing to efforts that address unease felt by communities and societies. Government institutions, businesses, academia, and civil society are responsible for co-developments and the global to local impacts.
The theme, “Navigating the Next Frontier: Embracing Digital Renaissance and a New Geospatial Paradigm”, reflects the urgency and opportunity for the global geospatial community to go beyond incremental progress and to reimagine the role of geospatial information management for the betterment of humanity. The digital and knowledge age is not only transforming technologies and information ecosystems but also inspiring a profound paradigm shift in how humanity applies integrated geospatial knowledge, insights and information for collective well-being.
Convened by the United Nations and hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA), the 3rd UNWGIC will bring together the global geospatial community to navigate towards the next frontier. Embracing a digital renaissance, the Congress will reimagine humanity’s application of integrated geospatial knowledge, information, and infrastructure for the collective good, and foster a future-ready geospatial ecosystem. The Congress thus positions itself as a watershed moment, a global gathering where creativity, sound governance, and shared purpose converge to usher in a new geospatial paradigm, one that is human-centered, inclusive, responsible, resilient, and transformative. As the flagship event of the Committee of Experts, the 3rd UNWGIC provides an inclusive and participatory forum for Member States, international organizations, the private sector, academia, and civil society to strengthen global collaboration, co-create geospatially enabled solutions, and enhance global geospatial information management arrangements to drive impacts from global to local levels.
The convening of the 3UNWGIC arises out of the mandate from the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) to the Committee of Experts – a subsidiary body of ECOSOC – to convene global forums that promote comprehensive dialogue on global geospatial information management with all governments, relevant international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia and the private sector. In making Decision 15/101 and 15/116 at its fifteenth session from 6 – 8 August 2025, the Committee of Experts welcomed the offer from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information to host the Third United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress in Riyadh from 16 – 19 November 2026. The Congress is expected to be an open, participatory and inclusive event with over 1800 participants, aiming to enhance the understanding and inspire applications and actions to usher in a future-ready geospatial ecosystem.
Please mark your calendar, plan to participate, and contribute to the third United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (3rd UNWGIC). Convened by the United Nations and hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA), the Congress offers a unique opportunity for broad engagement across Member States, international organizations, the private sector, academia, and civil society.
The registration process will follow a two-step approach: first, submit a request to participate; and upon acceptance, proceed to register as a participant. This process will be conducted online, with the registration link to be shared early next year.
Comprehensive information about the Congress—including the information and logistical note, the outline programme with thematic areas, and details of plenary, parallel, and special sessions will be posted on the Congress website as it becomes available. The International Advisory Committee of the 3rd UNWGIC will shape the substantive programme to ensure it is inclusive, forward-looking, and fully aligned with the Congress theme and objectives.