UN-GGIM

A REQUEST FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

The International Advisory Committee of the 3rd UNWGIC (IAC) requests that you consider being an active participant by serving as a catalyst for change through your expertise, learned perspectives, and contribution.

Together with the secretariat for UN-GGIM in UNSD, the IAC is launching a global Call for Abstracts to develop a substantive program designed to shape the future agenda for the Committee of Experts. It is anticipated that the Congress will include over 144 presentations spread across parallel sessions over four days. This is an opportunity for leaders, innovators, researchers, educators, practitioners, and stakeholders to influence and shape national and global agendas. Through meaningful in-person engagement, contributors will drive the discourse and forge a shared geospatial future.

Why Your Perspectives Matters

A future-ready, responsibly governed geospatial ecosystem that benefits everyone everywhere requires multiple and diverse perspectives from varied vantage points. By engaging in-person at the 3rd UNWGIC, the presenters contribute to a dynamic environment where policies, practices and perspectives contribute to constructive discourse.

The IAC invites future-facing contributions characterized by:

• Substantive
  Perspectives that are deeply “learned” grounded in evidence, proven experience, academic excellence, fostering genuine innovation.
• Diverse
  Inclusive with a rich mix of geographic, communities, sectors, and methodological lenses. Opportunities to amplify perspectives from under-represented regions and groups, women, young practitioners, next-generation leaders, and grassroots enablers are encouraged that bridge generational and traditional silos.
• Actionable
  Insights and proposals are designed to practically address the most pressing challenges, and create and expand opportunities that shape policies, frameworks, norms, principles, practices and standards, effectively translating evidence into policy and vision through action.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

To contribute to and participate in the substantive program, please complete and submit your proposal via the 3rd UNWGIC website with the link below. The IAC and secretariat recommend preparing your text in a separate document before beginning the online process to ensure a smooth submission.

[Click Here to Access the Online Submission Form]

General Structure of the Online Submission Form

To maintain a high-quality, robust and substantive program, the form is divided into four key components:

• The Contributor Profile:
  Provide your professional details, institutional affiliation, and a biography (maximum 100 words). The biography should highlight the expertise and background brought to the discourse.
• The Substantive Abstract:
  Provide a concise summary of your proposed contribution (max 350 words). Focus on your unique insights, innovation, and core findings, articulating how your contribution is actionable and/or shapes the future.
• The Strategic Alignment:
  Select the thematic focus your work primarily addresses (please refer to the thematic focus below). This does not guarantee that, if selected, your contribution will be designated to your selected thematic area.
• The Commitment to Present in person:
  As this is an in-person event, your submission confirms an agreement to attend and present your contribution in person.

Selection Process

The IAC working with the secretariat for UN-GGIM will review all submissions. The review process aims to ensure a balanced and diverse program that represents a wide range of the geographic communities, sectors, and methodologies that align with the Congress theme. Submissions will be assessed based on their relevance, rigor, and potential to inform policy, practice, or knowledge creation, with particular emphasis on future-facing insights and perspectives that anticipate emerging trends, opportunities and applications.

Expectations

Contributors will be notified of selection decisions in a timely manner after reviews and decisions are made following the submission deadline. Inclusion in the 3rd UNWGIC substantive program as a presenter does not guarantee financial support from the organizer or the host for related travel, accommodation, or other local expenses. Selected contributors are expected to actively participate in the four-day event, helping to shape outcomes that reflect global priorities, advance the future-ready geospatial ecosystem, and foster meaningful exchanges across disciplines, sectors, communities, and regions.

There is no registration fee to participate in the 3rd UNWGIC.

Important Timelines

To ensure a thorough review process for the expected 144 speaking opportunities, please adhere to the following schedule:

Call for Abstracts Opens: 23 February 2026

Submission Deadline: 24 April 2026 at 23:59 UTC

Review Period: 25 April to 26 June 2026

Notification of Selection: Beginning 15 June 2026 (notification will be carried out progressively)

Speaker Registration Deadline: 17 July 2026

Congress Attendance: 16 - 19 November 2026

Note

Early submissions of proposals are highly encouraged. Selected presenters will receive a confirmation letter to assist with any institutional funding or visa applications.

Contact:

Email address: ggim@un.org

THEMATIC FOCUS

The 3rd UNWGIC features four thematic focus areas (vision, integration, innovation, and the future), with each day uniquely dedicated to debating and deliberating on one of these critical themes.

This structured substantive program provides a roadmap that bridges the foundational vision of "why geospatial matters" with the operational aspects required for the future. By acknowledging the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (UN-IGIF) as the overarching strategy and mechanism for national transformation, the substantive program progresses from theory and perspectives into operational and practical pathways for national progress as well as for regions, sub-regions, thematic and specialized domains. It champions people-centered "digital geospatial renaissance" through participatory engagement and next-generation involvement, to advance a future-ready, responsibly-governed global geospatial ecosystem.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), as the secretariat for the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), is convening the Third United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (3rd UNWGIC). Hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA), this flagship quadrennial congress serves as the highest-level global platform for governments, international organizations, the private sector, academia, civil society, and next-generation leaders to collectively shape a future-ready agenda for UN-GGIM. The 3rd UNWGIC is convening under the theme: "Navigating the Next Frontier: Embracing Digital Renaissance and a New Geospatial Paradigm" bringing the global geospatial community together to navigate the next frontier by embracing digital geospatial renaissance, reimagining the application of integrated geospatial insights, information and infrastructure for the collective good and fostering a future-ready geospatial ecosystem.

The convening of the 3rd UNWGIC arises out of the mandate from the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) to UNGGIM, a subsidiary body of ECOSOC, to convene global forums that promote comprehensive dialogue on global geospatial information management with all governments, relevant international organizations and stakeholders. In making Decision 15/101 and 15/116, UN-GGIM at its fifteenth session from 6 – 8 August 2025, welcomed the offer from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through GEOSA to host the 3rd UNWGIC in Jeddah from 16 – 19 November 2026. The Congress is an open, participatory and inclusive event, aiming to enhance the understanding and inspire applications and actions to usher in a responsibly governed geospatial ecosystem.