SDGs KNOWLEDGE PLATFORM

On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit, officially came into force.

After three years of negotiations and debates, 193 countries agreed to a set of development goals that were more bold and ambitious than anything else. These came to be known as the Sustainable Development Goals.

Almost one-and-a-half years since the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it has become imperative to understand the progress that has been made so far.

Geospatial Information is key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Data, especially geospatial data, is the basis for evidence-based decision-making, monitoring and accountability. The geospatial community recognizes that location and geography are significantly linked to many, if not all, elements of SDGs. The task before the world geospatial community now is to push the 'geospatial value proposition' envelope to the governments and decision-makers at every level. Also, partnerships with civil society, the private sector, and academia will play a defining role in the success of the Agenda.

November 30, 2015, the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) begins in Paris. he UN recognizes that there is a growing requirement for more accurate measuring of the changing planet, down to millimeters, and that geoinformation has become mandatory when it comes to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Geospatial technologies have been applied for long in sustainable development. It is now imperative that the geospatial community focuses its efforts in achieving the goals set by COP21. In patois, if we cop out in the matter of Climate Change we will cop out from nature.