The sixteenth session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) was convened at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 to 7 August 2026. In the lead-up to this annual session, the Committee organized a series of preparatory webinars and inclusive inter-regional dialogues. The series of webinars is organized in accordance with , in which the Committee “noted the importance of strengthening the inclusive interregional dialogue series initiated ahead of the sessions of the Committee of Experts”.
This webinar on “Ocean & Sea Governance: Why Marine Geospatial Information Matters” was convened to provide a global, open forum to:
- raise awareness of the role of marine geospatial information in supporting practical ocean and sea governance implementation;
- share selected country experiences on the use of marine geospatial information for maritime zones, marine planning, safety of navigation and related policy processes;
- hear invited reflections on legal, hydrographic and ocean governance perspectives, including United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) the BBNJ Agreement, IHO standards and broader coordination needs;
- highlight the role of Joint Working Group on Marine Geospatial Information as a bridge between legal, policy and technical communities; and
- identify practical follow-up areas for future work and collaboration.
The webinar built on discussions held during the First Expert Meeting of the UN-GGIM and IHO Joint Working Group on Marine Geospatial Information in Chiang Mai, Thailand, particularly the session on “Bridging Geospatial Information and the Law of the Sea: From Frameworks to Implementation”. The discussion highlighted that legal and policy frameworks often depend on geospatial precision, operational readiness and reliable data governance arrangements for their effective implementation.
Meeting Documents
- Marine Geospatial Information