Monday, 19 October 2026
Strategic avenues for implementing the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework
9–
Session I
Workshop opening
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
95 minutes
Welcome and introductions
Geospatial Information Officer, United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre, Sandro Semedo
Chair, Executive Board, Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa, Kamal Outghouliast
Director, African Centre for Statistics, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Samuel Annim
Introduction of participants
Session II
Situating the challenge: the evidence on financing
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
Global survey by the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre on financing for geospatial activities: key findings, challenges, opportunities
Geospatial Information Officer, United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre, Sandro Semedo
Interactive discussion
10.35–
Break
11 a.m.–
Session III
Instruments and pathways: sustainable funding guide of the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
60 minutes
Presentation of the guide, which covers funding pathways, the articulation of a business case and the financing instruments available for national geospatial information management
Geospatial Information Officer, United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre, Sandro Semedo
Interactive discussion
Noon–
Session IV
National financing situations and constraints
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
60 minutes
Identification of country-specific constraints and needs, as a direct input to the tools being prepared by the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre for national implementation of the sustainable funding guide
Geospatial Information Officer, United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre, Sandro Semedo
Countries experience: Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali
Interactive discussion
1–
Lunch
2–
Session V
Documenting implementation: case study series of the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
90 minutes
Objectives of the series, presentation of the structured case-study template and illustrative cases from the region
Expert in Geomatics and information communication technology, Geomatics Center of Burundi, Eng. Julius Niyongabo
Interactive discussion
3.30–
Break
4–
Session VI
Breakout session: preparation of country case studies
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
60 minutes
Breakout groups undertake the scoping and initial drafting of a national implementation case study on the structured template, with facilitation provided
Geospatial Information Officer, United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre, Sandro Semedo
Interactive discussion
5–
Session VII
Peer learning: country experiences and knowledge sharing
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
30 minutes
How knowledge sharing across the region can be made more effective, including arrangements for the continued collection of case studies
Director: National Spatial Information Framework, Secretariat: Committee for Spatial Information, Maroale Martha Chauke
Interactive discussion
Wrap-up and conclusions
Consolidated conclusions of the workshop, submitted as a strategic input to the main conclusions of the Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa and to the joint agenda with the Statistical Commission for Africa
Chief, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Andre Nonguierma
Closing of the workshop
Geospatial Information Officer, United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre, Sandro Semedo
Chair, Executive Board, Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa, Kamal Outghouliast
Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Workshop on land administration and management
9–
Session I
Framework for effective land administration in Africa
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
70 minutes
Keynote address: Why land matters for African development
Technical Manager, National Geographic Institute – France International (IGN FI), Camille Pinet
Interactive discussion
Leadership and advocacy in land administration
Acting Director-General, South African Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, Clinton Heimann
Member States experiences
Representatives of two or three countries [countries to be confirmed] – Senegal, South Africa
Interactive discussion
Modernization of land administration services: principles and promises
Technical Manager, National Geographic Institute – France International (IGN FI), Camille Pinet
Towards sovereign global/national integrated land modernisation administration projects: Case studies
Representatives of two or three countries [countries to be confirmed] – Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Zanzibar
Interactive discussion
10.40–
Break
11 a.m.–
Session II
Land management frameworks
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
60 minutes
Using spatial data for effective land management
Panel discussion: From basic activities to strategic, coherent and impactful frameworks: creating a policy-to-practice matrix
Managing Director for Africa, Xcalibur Smart Mapping, Rochelle Mountany
[other panellists to be confirmed]
Interactive discussion
12–
Session III
Collaboration and partnerships
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
50 minutes
Impact, vision and call to action
President, International Federation of Surveyors, Diane Dumashie
Panel discussion with representatives of Governments, international organizations and entities of the United Nations system on collaboration, partnerships and moving from commitment to delivery and on leveraging opportunities for collaboration and partnerships to enhance African land management infrastructure
12.50–
Lunch Break
1.3–
Session IV
Geospatial as Foundational Infrastructure – How to operationalize IGIF
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
120 minutes
Frame geospatial as infrastructure, not mapping
Chief Executive Officer, Open Geospatial Consortium, Peter Rabley
Chief Standards Officer, Open Geospatial Consortium, Scott Simmons
Enabling an open geospatial future: How the Open Geospatial Consortium makes geospatial data work in open, interoperable architectures
Chief Executive Officer, Open Geospatial Consortium, Peter Rabley
Aligning cross-sector location data standards to enable local GeoAI solutions for the SDGs
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, TerraFrame, Nathan McEachen
Interactive discussion | Breakout Groups
3.50–
Break
4–
Session V
Wrap-up and conclusions
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
60 minutes
Main outcomes of the Workshop
Way forward and recommendations
Closing remarks
Wednesday, 21 October 2026 (Day 1)
Formal segment
Twelfth meeting of the Regional Committee of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa
9–
Opening of the meeting (agenda item 1)
Conference Room 1 · 1st floor
95 minutes
(a) Joint opening ceremony of the tenth session of the Statistical Commission for Africa and the twelfth meeting of the Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa
Opening and keynote remarks
10.20–
Break
10.50 a.m.–
Consideration of agenda items 1–4
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
(b) Formal opening of the twelfth meeting
Welcome remarks
Chair, Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa, Kamal Outghouliast
Representative of the secretariat of the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, Guillaume Le Sourd
Goodwill message
President, African Space Council, African Union Commission, Tidiane Ouattara
Opening remarks
Director, African Centre for Statistics, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Samuel K. Annim
Organizational matters (agenda item 2)
Election of the members of the Executive Board
Adoption of the agenda and programme of work
Review of the rules of procedure
Presentation of reports (agenda item 3)
For discussion
Report on the activities of the Regional Committee
Chair, Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa, Kamal Outghouliast
Reports of the Executive Working Groups
Working group on the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework, Maroale Chauke
Working group on the Integration of Geospatial and Statistical Information, Fernand Isseri
Working group on the African Geodetic Reference Frame, Aslam Parker
Working group on Land Administration and Management, Kamal Outghouliast
Contributions of regional committees and thematic groups:
Private sector
Director, AIC Mindful, Derek Clarke
Academic network
[To be confirmed]
Global geodetic reference frame
Co-Chair, Subcommittee on Geodesy, United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management, Fernand Bale
Policy issues (agenda item 4)
Geospatial information management in Africa
Recommendations of the eleventh meeting: status of implementation
Framework for itemizing and structuring all resolutions, decisions, and recommendations adopted by the Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa
Chief Executive Officer, Apogee Geospatial, Abdoulaye Belem
Interactive discussion
Secretariat and regional committees
Representative, Secretariat of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management, Guillaume le Sourd
UN-GGIM: Africa Activity plan for 2026: issues for consideration
Chief, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Andre Nonguierma
Africa geospatial overarching governance: high-level ministerial engagement
Representative, South Africa [to be determined]
Interactive discussion
1–
Lunch Break
2–
Technical issues (agenda item 5)
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
120 minutes
Geospatial information framework for development
United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework
Representative of the secretariat of the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, Guillaume Le Sourd
United Nations Geospatial Network: Global commitment, local impact
Representative, United Nations Geospatial Network [to be determined]
United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre
Representative, United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre [to be determined]
United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence
Head of Office, United Nations Global Geospatial Geodetic Centre of Excellence, Nicholas James Brown
Use of geospatial data and technologies to address development challenges
Representative of Trimble Geospatial
Leveraging Planet Artificial Intelligence to Understand and Plan for Risk in Africa
Impact Engagement Manager, Planet Labs, Kenneth Mubea
Geospatial Information, Statistics and Artificial Intelligence: Promise, Possibilities
Business Development Manager, Official Statistics, Esri, Kate Hess
Every Country Needs an Address Project: How Can Geocodes, Grids and the AFA Codes Methodology Help?
Chief Executive Officer, Address4All, Thierry Jean
Production of 1:5,000 digital orthographic maps without ground control points
Vice-President, Strategy, OMEO Space, Wei Sun
Technical cooperation in geospatial information supported by the Government of Japan
Deputy General Manager, AERO TOYOTA Corporation (Japan), Kaoru Tsuda
Capacities development
Director General, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, Emmanuel Nkurunziza
Executive Director, African Regional Institute for Geospatial Information Science and Technology, Lazarus Mustapha Ojigi
Thursday, 22 October 2026 (Day 2)
Tenth meeting of the Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa
9–
Joint session of the Statistical Commission for Africa and the Regional Committee of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa (UN-GGIM: Africa)
Conference Room 1 · 1st floor
90 minutes
For information see document E/ECA/STATCOM/9/2
Keynote address: Second edition of the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework
Co-Chair, Expert Group on the Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information, Claudio Stenner
National experiences in developing and implementing the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework (GSGF)
Representatives of selected African countries [to be confirmed]
Interactive discussion
10.30–
Break
11 a.m.–
90 minutes
Leveraging of geospatial data for the production of high-quality and accurate national statistics
Co-Chair, Expert Group on the Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information, Claudio Stenner
Interactive discussion
Modern census approaches: integrating the geographic information system, administrative data and registers
Business Development Manager, Official Statistics, Esri, Kate Hess
National experiences
[Speakers to be confirmed]
Interactive discussion
Modern field operations with ArcGIS: accurate, efficient and connected data collection
Business Development Manager, Official Statistics, Esri, Kate Hess
National experiences
[Speakers to be confirmed]
Interactive discussion
Geospatial information, statistics and artificial intelligence: promise and possibilities
Director, Executive Program and Geo Experience Center, Esri, Linda Peters
Interactive discussion
Next-generation sustainability: advancing the future with geospatial intelligence
Geospatial Information Management Officer, secretariat of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management, Guillaume Le Sourd
12.30–
Lunch
Consideration of agenda items 7–11
2–
Special topics (agenda item 7)
90 minutes
Shared vision for geospatial information management
[Speaker to be confirmed]
Looking to the future of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management in Africa
Acting Director-General, South African Department of Land Reform and Rural Development, Clinton Heiman
Next-generation sustainability: advancing the future with geospatial intelligence
Representative of the secretariat of the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, Guillaume Le Sourd
From geospatial frameworks to strategic leveraging: call for an African resource intelligence and strategic engagement network
Research Group Leader in Spatial Information Systems, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa, Sives Govender
Presentations by countries, partners and other stakeholders
[Speakers to be confirmed]
3.30–
Break
4–
Adoption of the report on the twelfth meeting (agenda item 8)
90 minutes
For discussion
Note by the secretariat of the Regional Committee containing the draft report and decisions of the twelfth meeting
Main outcomes of the twelfth meeting
Recommendations
Adoption of the report
Proposed dates for the thirteenth meeting (agenda item 9)
Other matters (agenda item 10)
Closing of the twelfth meeting (agenda item 11)
Concluding remarks by representatives of ECA, the secretariat of the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, the Executive Board, countries and partners.
Friday, 23 October 2026
Workshop segment (continued)
Implementing the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework in Africa: strategic avenues for the integration of geospatial and statistical information
9–
Session I
Setting the scene
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
30 minutes
Welcome and introduction of participants
Chief, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Andre Nonguierma
Outline of the organization of work and review of workshop discussion topics
Progress report on the integration of geospatial and statistics in Africa, followed by an interactive discussion
Statistician, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Ayenika Godheart
Keynote address: Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Data
Business Development Manager, Official Statistics, Esri, Kate Hess
9.30–
Session II
Implementation of the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework in Africa
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
30 minutes
Review of progress made by African countries, current challenges and areas where further work is needed
Statistician, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Ayenika Godheart
Experience of members of ECA
Representatives of Cameroon, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zambia
Interactive discussion
10–
Session III
Institutional coordination and data foundations
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
30 minutes
Coordination between national statistical offices and geospatial agencies; core datasets required for Sustainable Development Goal monitoring; data quality and accessibility issues
Geospatial Information Officer, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Aster Denekew
World’s largest 30 cm satellite constellation (19 satellites currently in orbit and 45 by 2027)
Vice-President, Strategy, OMEO Space, Wei Sun
Experience of members of ECA
Representatives of two members of ECA [to be confirmed]
10.30–
Break
11–
Session IV
Standards, privacy, and technology
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
Standards and interoperability; geocoding methods; coordinate pseudonymization; use of cloud platforms and Earth observation data
Statistician, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Ayenika Godheart
11.30 a.m.–
Session V
Capacity development and partnerships
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
Training requirements, institutional capacity, partnership arrangements and actions that can support wider use of the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework
Statistician, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Ayenika Godheart
12–
Session VI
Wrap-up and conclusions
Conference Room 2 · 1st floor
Way forward and recommendations
Review of the main points raised during the workshop and preparation of recommendations for submission to the Regional Committee of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information for Africa
Chief, Geospatial Information Management Section, ECA, Andre Nonguierma
12.30–
Lunch
1.3–
Closing session of the Tenth Session of the Statistical Commission
90 minutes
For information only
Official closing by the guest of honour