12th Meeting of the UN-GGIM Arab States Committee Concludes in Jeddah

Jeddah, February 06, 2025, SPA -- The 12th meeting of the Regional Committee of UN Global Geospatial Information Management for the Arab States (UN-GGIM Arab States), hosted by the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA) from February 3 to 6 in Jeddah, concluded today.
Officials, experts, and specialists from Arab member states, the UN-GGIM secretariat, and prominent international organizations attended the meeting. The gathering aimed to facilitate the exchange of insights, experiences, and the latest developments and practices to enhance the role of geospatial information in achieving development goals within Arab countries.
The meeting encompassed a review of the Arab Committee's 2024 annual report, progress monitoring across its working groups, and contributions from international organizations regarding geospatial information within the Arab region.
Notable efforts by the UN Global Center of Excellence for Geodesy and the UN Global Center of Excellence for Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation were highlighted, along with updates on the Kingdom's hosting of the UN Global Geospatial Ecosystem Center of Excellence, to be established in Riyadh.
Contributions and works from other regional committees emanating from the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management were also reviewed.
Additionally, various experiences to empower Arab women in the field of geospatial information and ways to enhance their pivotal role across different levels were discussed.
Concurrent with the main meeting, the fifth gathering of the high-level team of the Integrated Global Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF) took place for the first time within the Arab region, attended by 47 participants from diverse nations, representing UN-GGIM member states, along with heads of technical working groups and distinguished international experts. A joint meeting was also held between the high-level team and the UN-GGIM expanded bureau.
The meeting yielded several key recommendations: inviting interested Arab countries to sign the multilateral memorandum of understanding to enhance the quality of global geodetic references, in collaboration with the UN center of excellence for geodesy, approving the executive plan presented by the IGIF team, and approving the nomination of Eng. Abdullah Al-Qahtani as a vice chair of the geodetic framework team for 2025-2028.
The Kingdom, represented by GEOSA, chairs the UN-GGIM Arab States committee after being re-elected as president for three consecutive terms and also holds the committee general secretariat.
-- SPA