UN-GGIM

The United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, at its fourteenth session, with decision 14/101, recognized the increasingly complex and challenging operating environment for national geospatial, mapping and cadastral agencies, with rapid technological changes and advancements (including artificial intelligence), noted also that there were only six years remaining to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in this context, stressed the importance to wholistically consider environment, climate, resilience and sustainability and reiterated the importance of strengthening and enhancing national geospatial information management arrangement, capacity, capability and leadership, urged for sustained national investments in national geospatial programs, and emphasized the critical need to mobilize extrabudgetary resources at the global level to support national efforts, and the global and regional activities of the Committee.

This expert consultation and meeting is part of the series of expert consultations and meetings that includes regional and sub-regional capacity development and knowledge transfer activities to strengthen and enhance national geospatial information management arrangements, resources, capacities and leadership to support accelerated implementation of the Committee's adopted norms, frameworks, principles and guides for the achievement of the SDGs according to national circumstances and leveraging the UN-IGIF. These efforts are directly aligned to Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) resolution 2022/24 adopted on 22 July 2022.

It is being convened at a critical juncture in the global development agenda cycle. With the overarching theme 'Identifying Problems, Finding Solutions', the Expert Consultation and Meeting will include the plenary meeting of the Pacific Geospatial and Surveying Council to interact on prevailing country circumstances, perspectives, views, aspirations and needs, to discuss and understand key elements of national efforts and priorities towards enhancing their geospatial information management arrangements, resources, capacities and leadership, and to address their challenges and opportunities. It is envisaged that the five-day event, in line with the theme, will transition from a 'problem-oriented' to a 'solutions-orientated' approach during the week. It will also transition from trying to solve tactical problems to focusing on more strategic issues as Pacific SIDS, to understand the major challenges and specific geospatial information management needs and determine the necessary near and mid-term solutions.

The five-day event seeks to bring together leaders and senior executives from national geospatial information management entities in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories to engage and interact with one another, as peers, and with relevant stakeholders and subject matter experts in search of strategic pathways for enhancing their nationally integrated geospatial information management arrangements, resources, capacities and leadership and implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS towards a renewed and shared resilient prosperity in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories.