GEO community update – December 2025
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Welcome to the GEO Community Update for December. Here, we recap key events, achievements and updates to celebrate our collective progress and partnerships, with a special focus on COP30 and our work on Early Warnings for All.
GEO Secretariat and governance updates
Year-end message from the Secretariat Director
GEO Secretariat Director Yana Gevorgyan used her end-of-year message to the GEO community to thank partners around the world for their trust and collaboration in advancing Earth Intelligence for All. Yana also called for continued support and partnership as GEO strives to help countries turn global commitments into concrete action in 2026 and beyond.
GEO Symposium and Plenary, 26–28 May, Geneva, Switzerland
You are cordially invited to participate in the 2026 GEO Symposium and GEO-21 Plenary to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 26 to 28 May 2026. This event will bring together a broad community of stakeholders – from governments, space agencies and research organisations to private sector innovators, and development partners – for an in-depth exploration of how Earth Intelligence can drive transformative, resilient solutions for people and planet.
Latest from ExCom
The 67th GEO Executive Committee met on 28-29 October and approved the 2026 draft interim GEO Secretariat Budget. It endorsed the 2026 Secretariat Operating Plan, the GEO Infrastructure Implementation Plan and the new In situ Data Strategy, the 2026 Member Engagement Strategy and Plan, and a Protocol for engagement with GEO Member Ministers. Plans for the 2026 GEO Symposium and Plenary in Geneva were confirmed, and three new Participating Organisations were approved to join the GEO community.
Support the GEO Secretariat through secondments
The GEO Secretariat invites experts from GEO Members and GEO Participating Organisations to make a direct impact through our secondment programme. In addition, the GEO Secretariat is currently recruiting for two internships.
Celebrating the Regional GEOs
Congratulations to the Regional GEOs on the successful delivery of their regional events in 2025. These gatherings are vital for keeping momentum at national and regional level, strengthening partnerships and ensuring that Earth intelligence responds to local priorities. The GEO Secretariat was proud to support these efforts and thanks all organisers and participants for their commitment.
📄 Read more.
Keeping climate adaptation and early warnings on the agenda
Google.org invests in GEOGLOWS
GEO Global Water Sustainability (GEOGLOWS) via Brigham Young University has received a $3.5 million philanthropic investment from Google.org to scale up its global river forecast service to help countries, businesses and communities better prepare for floods, droughts and climate risk.
GEO community at COP30
At COP30’s Earth Information Day (EID), the GEO community argued that Earth Intelligence must be central to climate action. Florence Rabier (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, speaking for Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and GEO) highlighted the essential role of Earth observations for monitoring climate and informing policy. Coral Pasisi (Digital Earth Pacific/The Pacific Community) showed how turning open satellite data into Earth Intelligence is helping small island states assess loss and damage.
Towards COP31
The GEO Secretariat in collaboration with CEOS has launched a call for expressions of interest to identify potential satellite Earth observation-based case studies for the forthcoming 2026 CEOS EO Handbook on Adaptation and Resilience.
GEO Work Programme Open House Webinar #1
The GEO Secretariat recently kicked off a series of webinars to explore how activities in the Post-2025 GEO Work Programme are advancing #EarthIntelligenceforAll. This first webinar featured five activities from the Weather, Hazard and Disaster Resilience focus area.
Insights from the NAP Expo on coastal and ocean adaptation
At the NAP Expo in Zambia, GEO supported discussions on the adaptation needs of the most vulnerable populations and how Earth observations can inform coastal and ocean planning. In addition, GEO Blue Planet, Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS-Hereon) and Mercator Ocean International launched Supplementary Material to strengthen the treatment of coastal and ocean adaptation within NAPs.
No one left behind: putting volcanoes into EW4All
Charles Balagizi from the Geohazard Supersites and Natural Laboratories in the Goma Volcano Observatory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, is calling for volcanic hazards to be well integrated into Early Warnings for All.
Be tsunami ready
For World Tsunami Awareness Day, work on real-time forecasting from Tohoku University’s Shunichi Koshimura, a member of GEO’s Disaster Risk Reductions and Adaptation Working Group, was highlighted.
📄 Read it here.
A joint blog for IDDRR 2025
GEO partners produced a joint piece on the technology dividend for Earth Intelligence in disaster risk reduction, connecting early warnings, urban services and open knowledge.
📄 Read it here.
Voices, networks and impact at GPDRR 2025
The GEO community was well represented at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, showing how shared Earth observation services make national DRR systems stronger.
GEO at the first EW4All Forum
GEO highlighted the importance of co-development with users, supported by open Earth observation data, knowledge, and solutions at the EW4All Forum held on the first day of GPDRR 2025.
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Thank you for being part of GEO’s journey. Together we are advancing Earth Intelligence for All.