Organizer(s):
UN-GGIM: Asia Pacific
Description: The twelfth plenary meeting, the formal annual meeting of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific (UN-GGIM-AP) was hosted by the Government of Indonesia through its Badan Informasi Geospatial in Bali, Indonesia. The week-long event also included a two-day Asia Pacific Geospatial Forum, the inter-regional committee meeting (a meeting of presidents and chairs of UN-GGIM regional committees, see below), a one-day workshop on geodetic reference frame and applications for disaster, a half-day workshop on the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (UN-IGIF) in Asia and the Pacific, and a half-day expert consultation and meeting on enhancing national geospatial information management and accelerating the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Asia Pacific Geospatial Forum was officially opened by HE Mr. Hadi Tjahjanto, the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Indonesia. This regional forum, with the theme ‘Geo-Innovation for a Safe and Sustainable World’ brought together national, regional and international speakers to discuss how to unlock the potential of geospatial information through innovation, geo-enabling solutions for sustainable cities, innovation for effective land administration and developing the geospatial innovation capacities. Participants affirmed the valuable exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences and many looked forward to sound practices for implementing at the local level. The one-day workshop on geodetic reference frame and applications for disaster allowed participants to interact and discussed on geodesy and its relevance and application for science and society including efforts to better understand the dynamic Earth. The need for geodetic capacity development in the region was re-emphasized. The Regional Committee appreciated the engagement by the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence and provided valuable feedback to the Centre on its priorities including the preparation for a joint global geodesy development plan. The Regional Committee will encourage broad participation in the virtual consultation planned by the Centre together with the regional committee in January 2024. The co-Chair of the High-level Group of the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework from the United States provided a recorded ‘set-the-scene’ presentation for the half-day workshop on the UNIGIF. Every Member State from Asia and the Pacific shared how they are leveraging the UN-IGIF to strengthen and improve their national coordination and resources for their geospatial information management. The other four regional committees contributed with presentations related to their region. At the subsequent expert consultation on Friday 10 November 2023, Fiji, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal and Tonga shared their journeys towards their UN-IGIF country-level Action Plan. Many countries shared the need for leadership and robust governance arrangements with mandates and legislations. The need to engage stakeholders early in the journey was emphasized. Participants in the consultation appreciated the open exchange of experiences and perspectives and welcomed future opportunities to consult and discuss with one another in a collegial setting. Many countries appreciated the continuous ‘reminders’ to align their efforts to national development priorities and to operationalize the UN-IGIF according to their respective national circumstances. The twelfth plenary meeting was officially opened by HE Mr. Suharso Monoarfa, Minister of National Development and Planning. Twenty-one Member States were represented. In addition, Chile and the United States represented UN-GGIM: Americas and Saudi Arabia represented UN-GGIM: Arab States at the twelfth plenary meeting. At the meeting of the UN-GGIM-AP Executive Board and subsequently affirmed at the plenary meeting, China, Fiji and Nepal were welcomed as members of the Executive Board together with Indonesia (President), India, Japan and Singapore (Vice-Presidents) and Australia, Iran, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia and Russia. Also decided at the Executive Board Meeting and then confirmed at the plenary meeting, the establishment of the UNGGIM-AP Academic Network and UN-GGIM-AP Private Sector Network. These networks are expected to contribute and support the regional committee’s efforts towards the strengthening and improvement of geospatial information management in countries in Asia and the Pacific. All four working groups of the regional committee met, reviewed their progress, revisited their work-plans and agreed to a set of activities for the upcoming inter-plenary meeting period, including around awareness raising and capacity development. The thirteenth plenary meeting of UN-GGIM-AP will be hosted by India through the Survey of India in November 2024. The venue will be decided at a later date, in consultation with the UN-GGIM-AP Executive Board. Additionally, the plenary meeting agreed that the next meeting of its Executive Board will be hosted by Australia at Locate2024, which takes place in Sydney in May next year.
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