Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, took part in the 15th session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), held at the UN headquarters in New York from 6 to 8 August. The Kingdom’s delegation was headed by the Authority’s President, Dr. Mohammed bin Yahya Al Sayel, who also chairs the Arab Committee of UN-GGIM.
During the opening session, Dr. Al Sayel was elected as Co-Chair of UN-GGIM in recognition of the Kingdom’s advanced standing among its counterparts in the geospatial field at both the regional and global levels. As a culmination of the Kingdom’s active participation and its leadership role in international organizations, committees, and working groups related to the geospatial field- highlighted by its distinguished efforts within UN-GGIM, its Chairmanship and hosting of the secretariat of the Arab Committee of UN-GGIM, and it hosting of the UN Global Center Excellence on the future geospatial information Ecosystem in Riyadh- the Kingdom has further strengthened its international presence. In addition, it is represented through the President of GEOSA as founding member of the international advisory committee of the UN-GGIM Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Center in China, as well as through the Authority’s membership in the United Nations Global Geodetic Center of Excellence in Germany.
This comes as an extension of the Kingdom’s rapid progress in global indicators and rankings, as well as its continued recognition through a series of international awards related to the geospatial field.
In this opening remarks, Dr.Muhammed Al Sayel noted that the Kingdom’s accomplishments in the geospatial field are attributed- after God Almighty- to the extensive support and empowerment provided by the wise leadership to all sectors and areas of development in Saudi Arabia. He stressed the Authority’s determination to further strengthen and solidify this leadership by promoting international coordination and cooperation, and by supporting global efforts to advance the role of geospatial information in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr. Al Sayel also expressed his appreciation to UN-GGIM.
It is worth noting that, in accordance with its mandate, the Authority’s mission is to regulate, develop, supervise, and monitor the Survey and Geospatial Information and Imaging Sector in the Kingdom. GEOSA is also entrusted with representing Saudi Arabia at national and international levels in its areas of competence, as well as coordinating and cooperating with its counterparts in other countries and with relevant international organizations and bodies.