Mr. Edwin Peter Andrews, the Deputy Mayor of Cape Town;
Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; Rainer von Brandis, Research Director, National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project;
GEO -Co Chairs from China, Europe, US and South Africa; Yana Gevorgyan, GEO Secretariat Director;
Heads of delegates of GEO member states;
Representatives of Participating and Associated organisations; Delegates;
Distinguished guests; Ladies, and gentlemen:
South Africa is very proud and honoured to host the 2023 GEO Week and the Ministerial Summit. We are equally pleased that you all managed to join us in South Africa.
As some of you may be aware, this is the second time that we as a country are hosting this prestigious event. When we hosted it in 2007, we had just over 1300 registrations.
You would recall that GEO is an outcome of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. This Summit highlighted the need for coordinated Earth Observations to support evidence-based policy and decision making.
As a country, our participation in GEO is informed by a number of factors. The first one is obvious:
(i) one being the pride that comes with being a founding member.
(ii) second, we also participate in GEO because we share in the view that there is an increasing need for the deliberate application of science towards solving some of the most urgent challenges faced by humanity today.
Our participation is therefore, also informed by the belief that science must inform public policy, and, in this connection, we strongly believe in a public policy approach that is informed by scientific evidence. We have, therefore also been called to contribute to the Presidential Commission on Climate Change.
As a country, we recently experienced some of the worst floods in our history, which left hundreds of people destitute. Our national response was bolstered by the support we received from GEO partners who provided satellite data to monitor progress of floods and how to respond to save lives of many in flooded areas., for which we are deeply grateful.
We also realise that what we are experiencing in South Africa is part of a global phenomenon. We are too familiar with the disasters that are ravaging every corner of our planet. We see the fires in Australia, quakes in Turkey, droughts in East Africa and hurricanes in the USA.
All these call for a coordinated response and GEO is well positioned coordinate this global response. We therefore see the value of
participating in Geo because, regardless of their economic status or geographic location, countries can seamlessly and timeously, access data and tools that will enable them to respond to disasters, safe lives and protect infrastructure.
As a country, we are proud to be the Chair of the Africa Group on Earth Observations and our national coordination mechanism, the South African Group on Earth Observations is participating in the regional activities.
Examples of AFriGEO
As the African continent we have benefitted from GEO. Some of these benefits include the GEO Land Degradation Neutrality project; The African Agricultural Systems with the support of Remote Sensing project.
Towards this end, the Africa Group on Earth Observations that is hosted and by the Regional Centre for Mapping of the Environment, continues to bring African countries closer to the work of GEO.
It also pleases us to see the growing representation of African countries in GEO. Not only has African representation grown, but we are also seeing, courtesy of AfriGEO, the active participation in GEO tasks. Equally exciting is the emergence of young Africa Earth Observations entrepreneurs.
As the South African government, we therefore continue to invest in GEO. Some of our investments include
- Agricultural Research Council, has developed the Precision Agriculture Information System, providing real-time information on soil and crop conditions to farmers.
- The SAMNet project, funded by the Department of Science and Innovation and implemented by the South African Weather Service, contributes to the Global Observations System for Mercury, a GEO flagship project.
- We also support the Abiri technologies SMME, which uses drones equipped with advanced cameras to map rural and peri-urban areas, and then converts these images into digital maps; and track livestock in rural areas using GIS technologies.
Some of the public institutions that form part of the GEO Work Programme include the South African National Space Agency, South African Weather Services, South African Earth Observation Network, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the South African Airforce, and the Council for Geosciences.
GEO continues to be the leading and unique earth observations platform, globally and a means of connecting us all with the sole purpose of integrating observing systems.
But also, to connect member countries to existing infrastructure and the sharing of data and information, with the view to produce innovative and sustainable solutions to global challenges.
not only in the volumes of data that are gathered and shared for decision- making influence.
Therefore, our global efforts will have greater meaning if they enable us to respond more effectively to the environmental challenges of our various countries and regions of the world.
It is for this reason that it pleases us to note that GEO has made significant strides since the Commitments made four years ago in Canberra, Australia, to formalise the Regional Groups as a critical component of GEO to link global efforts to the local level.
In conclusion, the 2023 Geo Week and Ministerial Summit, comes hardly a month after we have hosted the Youth Session in October, this year. This session marked a significant milestone towards the development of the Youth Declaration, which will be adopted at the end of this week.
This week marks a great milestone and a turning point in GEO’s existence as we are going to set the new strategic direction for GEO beyond 2025. This week will be dedicated to deliberating on issues that are critical for the well-being and survival of humanity.
As we endeavour to transition towards the new GEO vision, let us continue to consider the considerable progress we have made, the numerous lessons we have learnt and the opportunities for a better, stronger, and more inclusive GEO.
While you are here, we also invite you to enjoy the rich heritage and culture that this part of our country has to offer.
I wish you fruitful deliberations and a pleasant stay in South Africa