Video Message
Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Sanya, Hainan, China
Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
It is my pleasure to join you at the International Symposium on Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation for Climate Resilience and Sustainable Development.
I thank the Government of the People¡¯s Republic of China, through the Ministry of Natural Resources, for hosting this important gathering.
I also welcome participants from across Asia and the Pacific and beyond.
Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. Climate-related hazards, exposure and vulnerability present cascading impacts on communities, economies and ecosystems worldwide.
Small Island Developing States and low-lying coastal countries are hit hardest of all.
Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and intensifying storms are no longer distant predictions, they are a daily reality.
Governments face complex, urgent decisions: where to invest, what to protect, and how to advance socio-economic development while sustainably managing our land, coasts, seas and oceans.
These choices will shape long-term climate resilience for generations to come, and they must be grounded in solid evidence.
Geospatial information provides precisely that evidence. It has a critical role in informing policy action, providing evidence for alternative interventions, monitoring progress on global and national priorities.
By linking people, places, infrastructure, services, and ecosystems and risk data, geospatial information empowers decision makers to better understand complex challenges, weight trade-offs, target interventions and measure outcomes.
Effective geospatial management is no longer optional¡ªit is fundamental to addressing today¡¯s crisis.
The United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management has developed strategies, frameworks and tools to guide this vital work.
Our United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre in Deqing, China, serves as the dedicated instrument to help countries turn these frameworks into real national capabilities.
Over the coming days, you will examine how integrated geospatial information management can strengthen climate resilience and advance sustainable development. This includes integrating land and sea data, leveraging artificial intelligence and Earth observation, and deepening our knowledge for disaster risk reduction.
Our shared responsibility is clear: to ensure that every country and every person¡ª particularly the most vulnerable ¡ª can benefit from geospatial information to build a better world.
I urge you to go beyond the exchange of experience. Examine what works, identify solutions that can be scaled, and directly confront the institutional, financial and technical barriers that stand in our way.
My Department, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, remains fully committed to supporting you in these vital efforts.
I wish you a productive and impactful Symposium.
Thank you.