GEO-19 PLENARY. Session 7: Bridging the Gap: GEO's Coordinated Approach to National and Global Engagements

Session Objectives:

For a long time, GEO's work at the international level has been very effective, however, its work at the national level mainly relies on the initiative and consciousness of individual countries. As GEO faces the next decade, it is crucial to strengthen its efforts at the national level to achieve close global-regional-national-local cooperation. This session will discuss national efforts and initiatives and the underlying dynamics and imperatives for strengthening country-level coordination to bridge the gap between national and global level engagements. It will aim to provide good insights and inspire more countries to consider the contributions they can make in the future.

Moderator:

• Yuqi Bai, Full Professor, Tsinghua University, China

Draft Agenda:

Presentation on National Coordination Mechanism:

• Ernest Acheampong, Capacity Development Coordinator, GEO Secretariat

Panel discussion:

• Rahanna Juman, Deputy Director, Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), Trinidad and Tobago
• Marylin Calvo Mendez, Geographer, National Meteorological Institute, Costa Rica
• Evangelos Gerasopoulos, Director, National Observatory of Athens - Greek GEO Office, Greece
• Shannon Kaya, Director, Transformation, Innovation and Engineering Division (TIED), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Canada

Interventions by Plenary

Session outcomes and recommendations