2015 will be a decisive year for the international community paving the way for sustainable development worldwide. Three important processes led by the United Nations are underway resulting in three agreements expected for 2015: the Post 2015 Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (HFA2, March 2015), the Sustainable Development Goals (September 2015), and the new climate change Agreement (December 2015). Geoinformation and especially Earth Observation provide indispensable data and information to support informed decision making at local, national, regional and global level to reduce disaster risks, improve adaptation to climate change, prepare better for unavoidable losses and damages, and deliver on the promise of sustainable development.
The United Nations/Germany International Conference on Earth Observation – Global solutions for the challenges of sustainable development in societies at risk aims at bridging the gap between Earth Observation experts and decision makers to find Earth observation solutions that match the challenges of governments in societies at risk. The objectives are to address important challenges, demonstrate existing solutions, identify future potential, and facilitate collaboration. The space community has already started a global effort to contribute to the new framework for disaster-risk reduction. The conference will serve as a platform to facilitate the coordination of this open group to help countries in their efforts to institutionalize the use of space-based information for disaster risk reduction. Sustainable development, adaptation to climate change, managing climate-change induced extreme weather events, dealing with losses and damages, and reducing disaster risks are strongly interlinked processes and synergies are to be worked out. The conference will provide a setting for decision makers and experts to agree on ways to use Earth Observation in combination with in-situ data to track progress in reaching the targets in the Post-2015 frameworks.
Please keep checking this website regularly for the latest information about the conference. More details are available in the information note and in the agenda.
Deadline for applications for those requesting financial assistance is 13 March 2015.
