FAO to chair UN Geospatial Network, enhancing UN-wide cooperation on geospatial innovation
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08/07/2025
In an increasingly interconnected world, geospatial information has become an essential tool for understanding complex global challenges. Within the United Nations system, cooperation on geospatial information plays a pivotal role in advancing the 2030 Agenda and ensuring countries have the tools and knowledge to make informed, data-driven decisions.
To advance this mission, the United Nations has established two complementary mechanisms that bridge policy and practice. The United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), created by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), serves as the intergovernmental platform for shaping global policy and fostering consensus among Member States. Complementing this work, the UN Geospatial Network (UNGN), established in 2017 by UN-GGIM, acts as the internal coordination mechanism within the UN system, bringing together specialized agencies, funds and programmes to align strategies, tools, data infrastructures, and capacity-building efforts.
For the first time, FAO has been elected to chair the United Nations Geospatial Network (UNGN). This nomination reflects the Organization’s strong leadership in the global geospatial ecosystem, where it supports countries in leveraging spatial data and technologies to transform agrifood systems. At the forefront of this work is FAO’s flagship Agroinformatics Platform, which provides the Organization’s geospatial infrastructure and powers a broad range of applications.
“At FAO, geospatial information is already driving real-world impact—from monitoring crop conditions in near real-time to supporting governments in crisis response and formulating targeted interventions and investment cases” said Dejan Jakovljevic, FAO Chief Information Officer and incoming Chair of the UNGN. “Through the Agro-Informatics Platform, we are not only providing core geospatial infrastructure for FAO but offering Digital Public Goods and data models that other UN entities and Member States can adapt and build on.”
Alongside FAO, the Network’s current leadership includes the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank as Vice Chairs, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as Steering Group members. This collective approach reflects a shared recognition that geospatial data is a common asset with the power to drive more impact.
Looking ahead, FAO’s chairmanship will aim at accelerating development of new capabilities and shaping a more unified approach to geospatial information globally fostering partnerships, advancing capacity building, and strengthening the role of geospatial data in global policy and programming. In doing so, FAO reaffirms its commitment to empowering countries with the digital capabilities and geospatial services needed to build more resilient, efficient, and sustainable agrifood systems.
To advance this mission, the United Nations has established two complementary mechanisms that bridge policy and practice. The United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), created by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), serves as the intergovernmental platform for shaping global policy and fostering consensus among Member States. Complementing this work, the UN Geospatial Network (UNGN), established in 2017 by UN-GGIM, acts as the internal coordination mechanism within the UN system, bringing together specialized agencies, funds and programmes to align strategies, tools, data infrastructures, and capacity-building efforts.
For the first time, FAO has been elected to chair the United Nations Geospatial Network (UNGN). This nomination reflects the Organization’s strong leadership in the global geospatial ecosystem, where it supports countries in leveraging spatial data and technologies to transform agrifood systems. At the forefront of this work is FAO’s flagship Agroinformatics Platform, which provides the Organization’s geospatial infrastructure and powers a broad range of applications.
“At FAO, geospatial information is already driving real-world impact—from monitoring crop conditions in near real-time to supporting governments in crisis response and formulating targeted interventions and investment cases” said Dejan Jakovljevic, FAO Chief Information Officer and incoming Chair of the UNGN. “Through the Agro-Informatics Platform, we are not only providing core geospatial infrastructure for FAO but offering Digital Public Goods and data models that other UN entities and Member States can adapt and build on.”
Alongside FAO, the Network’s current leadership includes the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank as Vice Chairs, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as Steering Group members. This collective approach reflects a shared recognition that geospatial data is a common asset with the power to drive more impact.
Looking ahead, FAO’s chairmanship will aim at accelerating development of new capabilities and shaping a more unified approach to geospatial information globally fostering partnerships, advancing capacity building, and strengthening the role of geospatial data in global policy and programming. In doing so, FAO reaffirms its commitment to empowering countries with the digital capabilities and geospatial services needed to build more resilient, efficient, and sustainable agrifood systems.