SDG Data Alliance joins UN-GGIM Intergovernmental Session and forms new partnership with Geospatial World

A view of the United Nations Secretariat in New York City. Photo: Unsplash/Zoshua Colah

NEW YORK, 8 August - At this year’s Fifteenth Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), global geospatial leaders from 80 Member States, along with representatives from industry, the private sector and academia gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York from 4 to 8 August. The SDG Data Alliance was honoured to participate in key moments of UN-GGIM to promote and elevate the role of geospatial data in sustainable development. 

Geospatial data holds immense value for identifying risks, planning for the future, responding to crises, and building stronger communities. But this is more effective when communication exists between statisticians representing diverse sectors across the world. The UN-GGIM provides a critical platform for intergovernmental cooperation as well as a space for industry leaders to share innovative ideas and solutions to challenges faced worldwide. 

Dr. Greg Scott, Executive Director of the SDG Data Alliance, delivers remarks in New York City during the UN-GGIM. Photo: PVBLIC Foundation/Stephen Keppel

The SDG Data Alliance is committed to geospatial information that is coordinated, accessible, and impactful. At the UN-GGIM Fifteenth Session, the SDG Data Alliance Executive Director, Dr. Greg Scott, and PVBLIC Foundation President, Stephen Keppel, contributed to several discussions and high-level side events throughout the session. 

Key engagements during the week included:

• Sunday, 3 August

  • Participation in the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre (UN-GGKIC) International Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting.

• Tuesday, 5 August 

  • Strategic meeting with the Mission of Tonga and ministers from the capital to advance the Alliance’s work supporting Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 

  • That afternoon, the SDG Data Alliance also moderated a panel discussion during the Forum on Geospatial Leadership, held at the United Nations Headquarters.

• Thursday, 7 August 

  • Participation in a panel during the CXO Summit on Geospatial Industry in an Evolving World Order, followed by the launch of the Geospatial World Forum 2026.

On 7 August, Dr. Scott and Mr. Keppel led the official signing of a partnership agreement between Geospatial World and the SDG Data Alliance. The signing marked a new era for strategic collaboration between two leading organizations working at the intersection of geospatial innovation and sustainable development.

“In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we require data-centered partnerships to inform decision-making and better serve communities worldwide to plan, respond, and thrive,” said Dr. Greg Scott, Executive Director of the SDG Data Alliance.

Pictured from L-R: Dr. Greg Scott, Executive Director of the SDG Data Alliance; Sanjay Kumar, Founder and CEO of Geospatial World; Stephen Keppel, President of PVBLIC Foundation, at the launch of the signing of the partnership between Geospatial World and the SDG Data Alliance. Photo: PVBLIC Foundation

“At PVBLIC Foundation, we are committed to eliminating barriers and making geospatial data inclusive and accessible with influential partners like Geospatial World. We look forward to seeing what we can achieve together,” said Stephen Keppel, President of PVBLIC Foundation.

As a recognized observer to the UN-GGIM, the SDG Data Alliance shares a vision to strengthen global and regional frameworks that empower communities with the data they need to drive sustainable, equitable development.