Where: Ronald Regan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C

Where: Ronald Regan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C

GEO-XIV Plenary Side Event: Earth Observations in Support of SDG Implementation and Monitoring in Small Island States and Developing Countries

When: October 24, 2017, 08:00 – 11:00

Where: Ronald Regan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C.

Live Stream Link:

Side Event Description: This event will serve as forum for a discussion between representatives of various Small Island States and developing countries (SIS+DC), Participating Organizations (POs) and GEO activities that have an interest in supporting Earth Observation (EO)-related information needs in SIS+DC that are associated with the 2030 Agenda. The event will provide an opportunity to pinpoint challenges for EO in these regions and to identify and form partnerships to address these challenges. A particular focus will be on the role of the ocean for the SDGs and the information needs related to the ocean.

During the event, GEO Blue Planet and other relevant GEO groups and POs will present ongoing and proposed projects related to monitoring in SIS+DC to facilitate information sharing between the representatives of the SIS+DC and the global community. Following the presentations, a panel with SIS+DC representatives will discuss the presentations and provide feedback on how these projects could support the efforts to implement and monitor SDGs in the SIS+DC. As appropriate, the panel will also give recommendations on developing new projects that would meet the needs of SIS+DC.

GEO Blue Planet is proposing to assist with the planning and coordination for the event in close collaboration with other relevant GEO activities, Member States and POs.

Upon completion of the event, a summary description of outcomes will be produced along with a list of potential partner organizations and contacts for the development of collaborative projects related to decision support for the SIS+DC community.

Agenda:
Welcome
08:00 – 08:15 / Welcome and Overview of Side Meeting / Paul DiGiacomo, Sophie Seeyave, Hans-Peter Plag (GEO Blue Planet Initiative)
SDGs in Small Island States and Developing Countries
08:15 – 08:35 / Data for implementation of the SDGs in Small Island States and Developing Countries / Aditya Agrawal(Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data)
08:35 – 08:55 / Bringing SDGs to the people and creating ownership in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines / Jai Rampersad(Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, St. Vincent & the Grenadines)
08:55 – 09:15 / Plans and Challenges for Implementation of the SDGs in China / DanLing Tang (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
The Role of the Ocean in the SDGS
09:15 – 09:30 / SDG Interactions and Interdependencies: The Role of the Ocean / Hans-Peter Plag (GEO Blue Planet Initiative)
09:30 – 09:50 / Coffee Break
GEO Initiatives and Participating Organizations
09:50 – 10:05 / GEO Blue Planet efforts to support the SDGs / Sophie Seeyave(GEO Blue Planet Initiative)
10:05 – 10:20 / MBON efforts to support the SDGs / Enrique Montes Herrera (MBON)
10:20 – 10:35 / Space for the Blue Economy / Christoph Aubrecht (ESA/World Bank)
Discussion
10:35 – 11:00 / Panel discussion

Panelists to include: Jai Rampersad(Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, St. Vincent & the Grenadines), DanLing Tang (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Christoph Aubrecht (ESA/World Bank)