United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names

Session   2025 session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names


"Advancing geographical names standardization through inclusive, culturally-informed and evidence-based solutions to support sustainable development"


In accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution E/RES/2018/2 of 10 November 2017 and decision 2023/338 of 25 July 2023, the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names will convene its 2025 session from 28 April to the 2 May 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, in conference room three. There will be 9 meetings of the 2025 session and each meeting will be three hours: 10:00 a.m - 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 - 6:00 p.m..

Objectives

UNGEGN sessions provide a forum where experts from the interrelated fields of geography, cartography, geospatial information, linguistics and history, from across the world come together to learn and share best practices and norms, new developments in geographical names administration and standardization. The session also highlights the Group's role as an enabler in preserving cultural heritage and where appropriate support relevant aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This session will address the theme "Advancing geographical names standardization through inclusive, culturally-informed and evidence-based solutions to support sustainable development". This theme conforms with General Assembly resolution 70/1, which called for ECOSOC inter-governmental bodies and forums to reflect the integrated nature of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as well as the interlinkages between them. The2025 theme was therefore created based on ECOSOC's SDG theme for 2025, 'Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind' which focuses on the review of SDG goals 3, 5, 8, 14 and 17. Therefore, it is beneficial to encourage focus on this topic and create a platform through the 2025 session to explore inclusive, culturally-informed and evidenced based solutions are being employed by Member States to achieve their goals, and in turn support the Sustainable Development Goals.

Work Programme

The Group of Experts has a robust work programme anchored in its Strategic Plan and Programme of Work 2021-2029. The following are some major topics to be addressed during the session: - place names supporting sustainable development, toponymic data management and gazetteers, romanization systems, diversity and inclusion, capacity building in toponymy and geographical names as cultural heritage.

Other Activities

Additional events consisting of working groups and divisional meetings, special workshops and an orientation session for new attendees will be held prior to and during the session. We are committed to keeping you, our national representatives, observers and special interest groups informed on the progress of session arrangements. Therefore, we encourage you to continue to monitor this website for updates and announcements.

Note:

Please be informed that the technical reports submitted by regional entities and member states are not reviewed or edited by the Secretariat. These reports facilitate the technical discussion of the subject matters on the agenda and help clarify technical issues. The contents of the reports does not reflect the position of the United Nations Secretariat.


The designations employed and the presentation of material does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, city or area, or of its authorities, concerning the appellation of places, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.


Documents (general)

List of documents by agenda item
(click on agenda item in left column)

Note:

Please be informed that the technical reports submitted by regional entities and member states are not reviewed or edited by the Secretariat. These reports facilitate the technical discussion of the subject matters on the agenda and help clarify technical issues. The contents of the reports does not reflect the position of the United Nations Secretariat.

The designations employed and the presentation of material does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, city or area, or of its authorities, concerning the appellation of places, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Agenda item 2. Organizational matters

Agenda item 3. Reports of the Bureau and the Secretariat: Report of the Chair

Agenda item 3(a). Report of the Chair
Agenda item 3(b). Report of the Secretariat
Agenda item 3(c). Monitoring and evaluation of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names strategic plan and programme of work 2021–2029
  • Implementation of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names strategic plan and programme of work 2021-2029 during the period of 2023-2025
  • Submitted by UNGEGN Bureau
    • GEGN.2/2025/161/CRP.161, Full report

Agenda item 4(a). Reports: Divisions of the Group of Experts

  • Report of the East Central and South-East Europe Division 2023-2024
  • Submitted by East Central and South-East Europe Division

  • Report of the Baltic Division
  • Submitted by Baltic Division

  • Report on the achievements of the Arabic Division, 2023–2024
  • Submitted by Arab Division

  • Report of the Africa Central Division
  • Submitted by Africa Central Division

  • China Division Report
  • Submitted by China Division

  • Report of the Norden Division
  • Submitted by Norden Division

  • Report of the Romano-Hellenic Division
  • Submitted by Romano-Hellenic Division

  • Report of the Pacific South-West Division
  • Submitted by Pacific South-West Division

  • Report of the Asia South-East Division
  • Submitted by Asia South-East Division

  • Report of the Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia Division
  • Submitted by Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia Division

  • Report of the United States of America-Canada Division
  • Submitted by United States of America-Canada Division

  • Informe de actividades de la División América Latina del UNGEGN
  • Submitted by Latin America Division
    • GEGN.2/2025/105, Summary

  • Proposal for the launch of the Hanji or Chinese Characters Division
  • Submitted by Asia East Division
    • GEGN.2/2025/107, Summary

  • Report of the Portuguese-speaking Division
  • Submitted by Portuguese-speaking Division
    • GEGN.2/2025/118, Summary

  • Status Report on the Divisions of the Group of Experts
  • Submitted by UNGEGN Bureau and the UNGEGN Secretariat
    • GEGN.2/2025/158, Summary

Agenda item 4(b). Reports: Governments on the situation in their countries and on the progress made in the standardization of geographical names

Agenda item 4(c). Reports: Activities on the standardization of geographical names in Africa

  • Initial steps made in standardization and creation of a uniform system of administering geographical names in Zambia
  • Submitted by Zambia
    • GEGN.2/2025/119, Summary

Agenda item 4(d). Reports: National and international meetings and conferences

Agenda item 5(a). Technical expertise: Names collection, office treatment, features beyond a single sovereignty and international cooperation

  • Role of artificial intelligence in evidence-based geographical names management
  • Submitted by Norway

  • The Dynamic Interplay of Use, Meaning, and Origin in Geographical Names Standardization
  • Submitted by Norway

  • Collecting and documenting geographical names in the Empty Quarter desert in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Submitted by Saudi Arabia

  • Collection of geographical names aimed at preserving cultural heritage
  • Submitted by Brazil

  • Documentary Evidence in Geographical Names Management: Pitfalls of Circular Reference and Institutional Self-Documentation
  • Submitted by Norway

  • The Utilization of Artificial Intelligence for Geographical Name Data Web Scraping
  • Submitted by Indonesia

  • The Role of Saudipedia Encyclopedia in Documenting and Updating Geographical Names in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Submitted by Saudi Arabia
    • GEGN.2/2025/160, Summary

  • Managing Geographical Names of Administrative Regions: Indonesia's Coding System Based on Minister of Home Affairs Regulation No. 58 of 2021
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/129, Summary

  • Indonesia’s Contribution to Undersea Feature Naming: Cultural Heritage and Maritime Implications
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/135, Summary

  • Geographical Names Standardization in India
  • Submitted by India
    • GEGN.2/2025/138, Summary

Agenda item 5(b). Technical expertise: Geographical names data management

  • The Norwegian Geographical Names Portal, Stadnamnportalen
  • Submitted by Norway

  • World Geographical Names database
  • Submitted by UNGEGN Secretariat

  • Standardization of kanji characters used in the geographical names database
  • Submitted by Japan

  • Geographical names data management at the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics
  • Submitted by Egypt

  • Establishment of digital geographical name signage in China
  • Submitted by China

  • Integration of modern technologies to activate geographical names
  • Submitted by Saudi Arabia

  • New developments in geographical names management and standardization in Saudi Arabia: the geographical names portal
  • Submitted by Saudi Arabia

  • Role of geospatial metadata in improving geographical name retrieval from the National Center for Archives and Records in Saudi Arabia
  • Submitted by Saudi Arabia

  • GeoDatabases (Geoportal)
  • Submitted by Jordan

  • Report of the Working Group on Geographical Names Data Management for 2023-2024
  • Submitted by the Working Group on Geographical Names Data Management

  • The Open Gazetteer for Europe— Progress and further development
  • Submitted by Germany

  • Concept of globally unique identifier for cities
  • Submitted by Germany

  • Updating the ISO 639 standard to record the language of origin for Indigenous geographical names in Canada
  • Submitted by Canada

  • Geographical names for providing weather forecast information in Canada
  • Submitted by Canada

  • Greenland report
  • Submitted by Denmark (Greenland)
    • GEGN.2/2025/102, Summary

  • Brazilian Geographical Names Database Portal
  • Submitted by Brazil

  • Place Names Database of Latvia
  • Submitted by Latvia
    • GEGN.2/2025/113, Summary

  • Volunteered Geographic Information and Linked Open Data in national geographical names standardization
  • Submitted by Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
    • GEGN.2/2025/115, Summary

  • Gazetteer Creator QGIS Plugin: A Tool for Automating PDF Gazetteer Creation
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/123, Summary

Agenda item 5(c). Technical expertise: Writing systems and pronunciation

  • Report of the Working Group on Romanization Systems: Current status of UN Romanization systems for geographical names
  • Submitted by the Working Group on Romanization Systems

  • Romanization of Arabic geographical names: Towards a single and unified Arabic Romanization system
  • Submitted by Saudi Arabia

  • Audio pronunciation functionality in the New Zealand Gazetteer for Māori geographical names
  • Submitted by New Zealand

  • Romanization application
  • Submitted by Oman
    • GEGN.2/2025/142, Summary

  • Romanization of Ukrainian Cyrillic for German speaking areas
  • Submitted by Austria
    • GEGN.2/2025/146, Summary

Agenda item 5(d). Technical expertise: Toponymic terminology

Agenda item 5(e). Technical expertise: Country names

  • Updated World Country Names: Short and Formal Names
  • Submitted by Indonesia

Agenda item 6(a). Relationships, links and connections: Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management

  • The Commitee of Experts on GGIM
  • Submitted by UN-GGIM
    • GEGN.2/2025/140, Summary

Agenda item 6(b). Relationships, links and connections: Economic Commission for Africa

Agenda item 6(c). Relationships, links and connections: International organizations, including academia

  • Report of the Liaison Officer, International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS)
  • Submitted by UNGEGN liaison with ICOS

  • Report of the Joint ICA/IGU Commission on Toponymy
  • Submitted by UNGEGN Liaison with ICA
    • GEGN.2/2025/150, Summary

  • Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH) Activities Report
  • Submitted by UNGEGN Liaison with PAIGH
    • GEGN.2/2025/156/CRP.156, Full report

  • Report of the International Hydrographic Organization
  • Submitted by UNGEGN Liaison with IHO
    • GEGN.2/2025/157/CRP.157, Full report

Agenda item 7(a). Effective work programmes: Measures taken and proposed for the implementation of resolutions and recommendations

Agenda item 7(b). Effective work programmes: Evaluation of the work of the Group of Experts

Agenda item 7(c). Effective work programmes: Social and economic benefits of supporting sustainable development

Agenda item 7(d). Effective work programmes: Toponymic guidelines for international use by map and other editors

  • Toponymic Guidelines for Map and Other Editors for International Use: Norway Revised Edition, 2025
  • Submitted by Norway

  • Fifth edition of the toponymic guidelines of Poland
  • Submitted by Poland

  • Update of toponymic guidelines: Finland
  • Submitted by Finland

  • U.S. Toponymic guidelines for map and other editors, for international use
  • Submitted by United States of America
    • GEGN.2/2025/101, Summary

  • Toponymic guidelines for map and other editors – Estonia (5th edition, 2025)
  • Submitted by Estonia
    • GEGN.2/2025/110, Summary

  • Report of the Coordinator for Toponymic guidelines
  • Submitted by the Toponymic Guidelines for Map and Other Editors for International Use
    • GEGN.2/2025/116, Summary

  • Eighth edition of the toponymic guidelines of Austria
  • Submitted by Austria
    • GEGN.2/2025/155/CRP.155, Full report

Agenda item 8(a). Culture, heritage and language recognition: Geographical names as culture, heritage and identity

  • Addressing culturally and socially sensitive geographical names: a framework for standardization
  • Submitted by Norway

  • Report of the Working Group on Geographical Names as Cultural Heritage
  • Submitted by Working Group on Geographical Names as Cultural Heritage

  • Role of geographical names in safeguarding cultural heritage in Saudi Arabia
  • Submitted by Saudi Arabia

  • A Place called Quitungo
  • Submitted by Brazil

  • Tangata Whenua Place Names maps of New Zealand – challenges and lessons learned
  • Submitted by New Zealand

  • Special New Zealand presentation on Ngāi Tahu’s online cultural heritage atlas, Kā Huru Manu
  • Submitted by New Zealand

  • A changing Australian landscape enhancing our diverse communities through geographical names
  • Submitted by Australia

  • Mapping changes to geographical names over time in Canada
  • Submitted by Canada

  • Withdrawn
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/132, Summary

  • The Urgency of Developing a Representative Toponymy Model in The Nusantara Capital City (IKN) as a Reflection of Cultural and National Identity
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/133, Summary

  • Cultural Dimensions of Geographical Names of National Parks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Submitted by Saudi Arabia
    • GEGN.2/2025/133, Summary
    • GEGN.2/2025/133/CRP.133, Full report

Agenda item 8(b). Culture, heritage and language recognition: Indigenous, minority and regional languages and multilingual issues

  • Amplifying First Nations languages in Australia
  • Submitted by Australia

  • Focus group on Indigenous geographical names
  • Submitted by Canada

  • Withdrawn
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/136, Summary

  • Notation and standardization of Slovenian geographical names in Carinthia and Styria – methods and informal expert groups engaging themselves
  • Submitted by Austria
    • GEGN.2/2025/147, Summary

Agenda item 8(c). Culture, heritage and language recognition: Exonyms

  • Polish exonyms of buildings and other urban objects
  • Submitted by Poland

  • Excessive use of exonyms by Google
  • Submitted by Austria

  • Visualizing place-name qualities on maps and in texts
  • Submitted by Austria

  • Report of the Working Group on Exonyms
  • Submitted by Working Group on Exonyms

  • Proposal for a resolution on exonyms and cultural heritage
  • Submitted by Working Group on Exonyms

  • Foreign names in Estonian
  • Submitted by Estonia
    • GEGN.2/2025/108, Summary

  • German exonyms for geographical features in Slovakia
  • Submitted by Austria
    • GEGN.2/2025/148, Summary

    Agenda item 9(a). Promotion and capacity-building: Strengthening publicity and increasing awareness of the importance of standardized geographical names

  • Advancing geographical name standardization in Armenia to support sustainable development
  • Submitted by Armenia

  • Public engagement with geographical names in Iceland in social media contexts
  • Submitted by Iceland

  • Fostering Public Participation by Conducting Competition to Uphold and Protect Geographical Names
  • Submitted by Indonesia

    • Agenda item 9(b). Promotion and capacity-building: Toponymic training and education

  • Report of the Working Group on Funding and Training Courses in Toponymy
  • Submitted by Working Group on Funding and Training Courses in Toponymy

  • Online manual on name planning
  • Submitted by Finland

  • Fostering Synergy between Universities and Government Agencies for Effective Geographical Names Standardization
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/128, Summary

  • Utilization of Deep Learning and Computer Vision Technology in Geographical Names Management
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/130, Summary

  • Training Needs Assessment for Geographical Names Management: Survey Results Report
  • Submitted by Working Group on Funding and Training Courses in Toponymy
    • GEGN.2/2025/153/CRP.153, Full report

    Agenda item 9(c). Promotion and capacity-building: Funding of capacity-building initiatives

    Agenda item 10. Other geographical names issues.

  • Example Laws on Geographical Names Standardization and Cultural Heritage Protection
  • Submitted by Norway

  • Enhancing The Implementation of Geographical Names in Indonesia through Strategic Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/124, Summary

  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Testing for Geographical Names Standardization in Indonesia
  • Submitted by Indonesia

  • Withdrawn
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/131, Summary

  • Bhumandala Nama Rupabumi Awards: An Effective Evaluation Mechanism for Geographical Names Standardization in Indonesia
  • Submitted by Indonesia
    • GEGN.2/2025/139, Summary

  • 100th Anniversary at the Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying (BEV) and Cartographic Activities
  • Submitted by Austria
    • GEGN.2/2025/149, Summary


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