NEWS
On September 5, 2025, a Special Session on Digital Earth Technologies for Promoting Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and South Pacific Island Countries (SPIC) was held at the Headquarters of the International Science and Technology Organizations in Beijing. The special session was co-organized by the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), and many other institutions, with the support of the Pacific Academy of Sciences (PAS) and the Beijing International Science and Technology Exchange Center (BISTEC). The event brought together more than 50 delegates from UN DESA, and governments and institutions of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the South Pacific Island Countries (SPIC) for dedicated discussions on the uptake of Digital Earth technologies to tackle the pressing challenges these countries face. Participants embraced closer international collaborations and practical next steps to better harness geospatial technologies for monitoring the UN SDGs.
Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Sai Navoti, Chief of SIDS Unit, Division for Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Mr. Wei Liu, IATT Coordinator, Sustainable Development Officer of UN DESA, Ms. Azeema Adam, Senior Inter-Regional Adviser, Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government of UN DESA, and Prof. Changlin Wang, Secretary-General of the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE). The session was moderated by Dr. Zhen Liu, Executive Director of ISDE.
Mr. Sai Navoti emphasized that SIDS countries are emerging as pioneers in renewable energy, piloting innovative solutions in solar, wind and tidal power that can serve as a model for the wider world. Geospatial and Digital Earth technologies are fostering the SIDS' capacity building efforts and amplifying their collective voice on the global stage.
Mr. Sai Navoti delivered remarks
Prof. Changlin Wang highlighted that Digital Earth technologies are essential within the UN frameworks: SDGs, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Reduction, and also play an important role in the development of digital economies. He believes that Digital Earth technologies could provide solutions in addressing SIDS challenges.
Prof. Changlin Wang delivered remarks
Mr. Wei Liu delivered remarks
Ms. Azeema Adam delivered remarks
The session featured six keynote presentations by leading field experts, including Mr. Felix Xavier Estico, Member of UN SG's 10 High-level Representatives to Promote Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs and Executive Chairman of Seychelles Centre for Innovation and Sustainable Development (SCISD), Prof. Gensuo Jia, Deputy Director General of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), Dr. Sharon Torao Pingi, Lecturer in Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science of the University of Papua New Guinea, Prof. Huaguo Zhang, Deputy Director of State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Nature Recourse, China, Mrs. Chandranee Rughoobur, Senior Statistician of the Statistics Mauritius, and Prof. Saini Yang, Executive Director of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) of the International Science Council (ISC). Their presentations spanned topics from STI governance and technology assessment to climate change, marine monitoring, AI and data, and disaster risk reduction.
Keynote presentations
The following panel discussion delved deeper into the most targeted and practical best practices for addressing challenges unique to island countries, beyond universal norms. It stressed the need for stronger stewardship of AI and digital toolkits to bridge data and capacity gaps across SIDS and SPIC, while also reaffirming the importance of open data and international cooperation.
Panel discussion
The session formed part of the Capacity Building Workshop for Small Island Developing States: Leveraging Big Earth Data to Evaluate the SDGs Progress on September 1 to 8. More than 50 government and institution representatives from 13 countries participated, including Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, the Maldives, Cape Verde, Seychelles, Fiji, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Malaysia, and Nepal. The UN delegates, specialists, and representatives from other international organizations also engaged in dynamic exchanges.
Group photo
Building on the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) adopted at the Fourth International Conference on SIDS in 2024, the workshop placed a strong emphasis on the unique vulnerabilities of island nations, such as geographic isolation, small economies, and high exposure to natural hazards. In the same year, the first Workshop on Capacity Building on Utilizing Big Earth Data for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was successfully held in Beijing, whose outputs had been featured on the UN DESA website and offered constructive examples for SIDS.
