Source: News on Air
Context: India has been elected as the Co-Chair of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Asia and the Pacific (UN-GGIM-AP) for a three-year term (2025–2028).
About United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Asia and the Pacific (UN-GGIM-AP):
- What It Is?
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- The UN-GGIM-AP is one of the five regional committees of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).
- It coordinates regional efforts to promote geospatial governance, data sharing, and sustainable development through mapping and information systems.
- Established In:
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- Originally set up in 1995 as the Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP).
- Rebranded as UN-GGIM-AP in 2012 following the creation of UN-GGIM in 2011, integrating regional geospatial initiatives under the UN umbrella.
- Term and Membership:
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- Represents 56 national geospatial authorities from countries across Asia and the Pacific.
- India’s Co-Chair term will run till 2028, reflecting its growing role in shaping global geospatial policy and data ecosystems.
- Aim:
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- To maximize the social, economic, and environmental value of geospatial data through regional collaboration and innovation.
- To strengthen spatial data infrastructure (SDI), enhance policy frameworks, and facilitate data-driven decision-making for achieving the SDGs.
- Key Functions:
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- Capacity Building: Promotes knowledge exchange, training, and technical assistance among member states.
- Regional Cooperation: Facilitates cross-border geospatial initiatives and integration of national systems.
- Policy Guidance: Supports the formulation of geospatial governance standards and policy harmonization.
- Sustainable Development Support: Aligns geospatial information management with climate action, disaster management, and urban planning.
- Partnership with ESCAP: Since 2018, the UN-ESCAP Secretariat supports UN-GGIM-AP operations to strengthen institutional capacity and equitable dissemination of data.
