SDG Data Alliance Convenes Leaders at the UN to Mobilize Data, Technology and Partnerships for Small Island Developing States
At UNGA 81, the Alliance's breakfast convening showcased the SIDS Global Data Hub, brought together SIDS leaders, technology innovators and multilateral partners, and marked a new partnership agreement with Geosat
On Wednesday, September 23, the SDG Data Alliance, PVBLIC Foundation's award-winning program, convened a breakfast session with senior leaders from across sectors at the SDG Media Zone at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Held during the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81) under the theme "Mobilizing Data, Technology and Partnerships for Impact," the breakfast explored how data, technology and strategic partnerships can accelerate resilient development for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and developing nations.
The conversations were anchored in a shared conviction: that trusted, timely and interoperable data, especially geospatial and Earth observations data, is the foundation for informed policy, disaster preparedness, climate resilience, coastal management, blue economy planning and sustainable infrastructure. The program particularly highlighted the progress of the SIDS Global Data Hub and the growing network of Country Data Hubs across the Caribbean, Pacific and AIS regions as key data and technology enablers for SIDS.
Setting the agenda for data-driven resilience
Kerry Bannigan, President of the Board of PVBLIC Foundation, welcomed participants and called the breakfast convening to order, before handing the podium to Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Executive Chairman of PVBLIC Foundation, to provide opening remarks.
Mr. Cordova observed that we live in an era of unprecedented technological transformation, where we speak daily of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and rapid cloud computing. Yet, the paradox of our time is that the countries that need these tools the most – our ocean economies and developing nations – still typically lack access to the high-quality, timely, and reliable data required to survive and thrive.
The problem is rarely that data doesn’t exist. Rather, it is fragmented, disconnected, and locked away in silos. It cannot be readily accessed, analyzed, or shared. Without actionable, interoperable, and integrated geospatial and Earth observations data, you cannot build resilient infrastructure, you cannot protect coastal ecosystems, and you cannot plan a sustainable blue economy, or prepare for the next climate disaster.
That is why, in 2023, PVBLIC Foundation took a monumental step - entering into a strategic partnership with the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to establish the SIDS Global Data Hub, an effort advanced at the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in 2024 to help translate the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) into implementation.
A new partnership to bring satellite data to SIDS
The opening remarks were followed by the signing of an Implementing Partnership Agreement between PVBLIC Foundation and Geosat, a European provider of Earth observation satellite imagery and data analytics. The agreement was signed by Sergio Fernández de Córdova and Francisco Vilhena da Cunha, CEO of Geosat, on behalf of their organizations, and was announced through the SDG Data Alliance.
The partnership aims to equip SIDS with access to the latest satellite Earth observation data and actionable geospatial products. Its objectives include deploying targeted pilots, expanding capacity building and decision-making, establishing data acquisition frameworks, and reducing the financial barriers to high-resolution data.
"Small Island Developing States need the capacity to see, understand, and make decisions about their own territories. This partnership connects Geosat's Earth Observation capabilities with the SIDS Global Data Hub so governments can turn satellite information into practical decisions about natural assets, infrastructure, and resilient development. Our measure of success is whether that capability takes root within the countries themselves," said Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Executive Chairman of PVBLIC Foundation.
Integrating foundational data to scale impact
Dr. Greg Scott, Executive Director of the SDG Data Alliance, then introduced the work of the Alliance under the title "Integrating Foundational Data to Scale Impact." The Alliance traces its roots to the development of the Federated Information System for the SDGs in 2017, a model that evolved into national and thematic SDG Data Hubs and was formalized as the SDG Data Alliance in July 2021.
Dr. Scott explained that today, the focus of the Data Alliance is to ensure the SIDS Global Data Hub is to provide the foundations for ensuring all SIDS have access to the integrated data, technology, tools, solutions and expertise needed to make informed decisions, monitor national priorities, track progress on the ABAS and the SDGs, and accelerate achievement of resilient prosperity. While describing the role of the Global Data Hub within the SIDS Centre of Excellence, including the architecture, data, tools and outputs supporting SDGs and ABAS implementation, Dr. Scott showcased how it all comes together with a live web demonstration of the Global Data Hub and several SIDS Country Data Hubs.
Three dedicated panel discussions followed.
SIDS leaders on national data priorities
The first panel, "Mobilizing Data for Impact: Perspectives from SIDS Leaders," was introduced and moderated by Ashaki Goodwin, Director of Government Affairs at PVBLIC Foundation. It brought together H.E. Sivoki Lavemaau, Minister for Finance of the Kingdom of Tonga; H.E. Steven Victor, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment of Palau; H.E. Kevin Hope, Ambassador for Finance, Climate, and Investment of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and H.E. Dr. Tapugao Falefou, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the United Nations. Placing the voices of SIDS leaders at the center of the program reflected a principle at the heart of the Alliance's work: that national data priorities should be defined by the countries themselves.
Technology and solutions delivering impact
The second panel, "Data, Technology and Solutions Delivering Impact," moderated by Dr. Greg Scott, turned to the tools and expertise that can bring those priorities to life. Dr. Alix Cantave, Senior Program Officer for Haiti at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Dr. Carmelle Terborgh, Lead Account Manager, Nonprofit & Global Organizations at Esri; Manika Gupta, Founder of Privacy Evolved; and Francisco Vilhena da Cunha, CEO of Geosat, represented the philanthropic, technology, and Earth observation communities whose collaboration makes data-driven decision-making possible. Mr. Vilhena da Cunha's presence on the panel, only moments after the signing of the new agreement, offered a concrete example of how those collaborations take shape.
The impact of partnerships
The final panel, "The Impact of Partnerships," was introduced and moderated by Stephen Keppel, President of PVBLIC Foundation. Dr. Valrie Grant, Strategic Advisor on Geospatial Matters at OECS; Daniel Kull, Director of Development Partnerships & Programme Delivery at WMO; Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of ITC; and Lisa Kingsberry, Director of Strategic Communication, Outreach, Publishing & Engagement at the Pacific Community (SPC), discussed the role of regional and multilateral cooperation in advancing data-driven development.
Dr. Greg Scott closed the breakfast with a summary of proceedings and a call to action. The morning moved from the priorities set out by SIDS leaders to the technologies and expertise that can address them, and to the partnerships needed to sustain that work.
Small island developing states face a set of compounding pressures: environmental change, limited resources and vulnerability to external shocks. Geographic remoteness makes these challenges harder still, widening existing data-capacity gaps. In this context, access to trusted and timely data is the foundation for informed policy and risk-informed decisions. The new agreement with Geosat and the growing network of Country Data Hubs are practical steps toward that goal, and the work will continue well beyond the UNGA 81 conversations.
This article was written by Bárbara González, Communications Coordinator, and Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Founder & Executive Chairman of PVBLIC Foundation, an organization working at the intersection of Nature, Technology, Capital, and Multilateralism in partnership with sovereign governments, multilateral institutions, development finance organizations, and global family offices.
→ Explore PVBLIC's work at pvblic.org
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