The GEO Week and Ministerial Meeting 2023, held in Cape Town, South Africa from 6-10 November, focused on "The Earth is talking."
At GEO-19, a milestone was reached with the adoption of the GEO Post-2025 Strategy: Earth Intelligence for All. This strategy underscores GEO's leadership in Earth observations and collaborative product development with and for users. As a GEO Participating Organization, the Mountain Research Initiative was proudly represented in these proceedings and engaged with key inputs to continue our thematic advocacy on mountains – including via its co-lead role in supporting GEO Mountains.
Earth observations (EO) provide a global perspective and a wealth of data about Earth systems, enabling data-informed decision-making based on the current and future state of our planet. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) comprises a voluntary partnership among governments, international and national organizations, and the private sector united by the goal of improving the availability, access, and use of such EO to ensure the sustainable use of Earth’s natural resources.
Taking the theme of ‘The Earth is talking’ seriously, the 19th session of the GEO (GEO-19) marked a turning point when GEO Members adopted the GEO Post-2025 Strategy: Earth Intelligence for All. The Strategy not only supports a continuation of GEO’s leadership in coordinating and enabling the provision and use of EO, but now introduces pathways for GEO to co-produce products and services with users and for users, thereby requiring GEO to adapt its operating model. In a display of this forward vision, GEO-19 also saw youth participants playing a more central role in the discussions and emphasized their integral role in data-driven economies.
Other highlights during GEO-19 included:
- the launch of the new GEO website, which aims to: increase brand awareness and credibility; provide clearer information and the ability to generate leads; allow for better engagement with target audiences; and improve user experience and accessibility;
- the introduction of the Global Ecosystems Atlas and the Global Heat Resilience Service, two major programmatic efforts that GEO has been leading since GEO-18 and that, in GEO’s words, presents “proof of concept for the Post-2025 Strategy;”
- a first-ever session where GEO Week officially engaged with young people on the dais in a “defining moment for GEO” to explain how Earth intelligence will benefit the leaders of tomorrow, during which youth presented the Youth Declaration; and
- a session on the second day dedicated to showcasing GEO achievements from the Team Impact category of the 2023 GEO Awards, with selected stories from the 2023 Highlights Report.
The final day of GEO Week 2023 was dedicated to the Ministerial Summit, during which the leaders of governments reaffirmed the GEO commitment to open and free data exchange, encouraged governments to increase free access to EO using public resources, and strongly encouraged flexible, multi-user licensing agreements for non-governmental data. A Ministerial Declaration was adopted, which, among others: affirms GEO’s commitment to support multilateral environmental agreements; strongly encourages flexible, multi-user licensing agreements for non-governmental data; and charges GEO with developing an implementation plan to guide progress in executing the Post-2025 Strategy and with mobilizing resources.
This article was first published by the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin. You can view the original summary report on the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin website.
Cover image by JuniperPhoton
