The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) – an intergovernmental partnership of more than 100 countries and the European Commission, which “promotes open, coordinated, and sustained data sharing and infrastructure” to support research, policymaking, and action across multiple disciplines – convened GEO Week 2022 to discuss the potential for EO to help address global challenges.
Earth observation is “the collecting of information about the Earth’s atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial systems, including changes to these systems over time.” According to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting, “EO data provide essential information to policy and decision makers, enabling them to understand the issues they are dealing with and make appropriate and informed decisions.”
The GEO community, the ENB writes, focuses on global priority engagement areas, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
GEO Week 2022 took place in Accra, Ghana, from 31 October to 4 November 2022, under the theme, ‘Global Action for Local Impact.’ It included the 18th meeting of the GEO Plenary (GEO-18), which focused on efforts needed to accelerate action in GEO towards environmental and social impact.
Participants discussed, among other issues: operational services for Africa; EO for nature-based solutions; future-proofing national adaptation plans (NAPs); collective action on oceans, climate, and biodiversity; and the road to GEO post-2025.
GEO Week 2022 also included:
- the sixth AfriGEO Symposium, which highlighted the transformative power of EO when incorporated into decision-making processes;
- sessions dedicated to youth, where participants urged GEO members to enhance their financing to address challenges in EO data access as it relates to youth; and
- an industry track, meeting under the banner, ‘Public-Private Partnerships: A Catalyst for Local Action.’
Side events that took place during GEO Week 2022 focused on a range of issues, including evidence-based decisions and impact through national GEOs, EO and health, innovative agriculture monitoring for improved food security, and accelerating all SDGs through a GEO-Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) tool. [ENB Coverage of GEO Week 2022]