Community Event - Leveraging Earth Observations for Post-Conflict Recovery (Regional GEO Session)

Description

Armed conflicts are increasingly affecting not only human populations but also natural systems, with long-term consequences for ecosystems, natural resources, and environmental sustainability. While the human toll remains paramount, the environmental dimension of conflict—often transboundary in nature—requires greater attention and coordinated response. This session will explore how advanced Earth observation data, including very-high resolution imagery (VHR), combined with innovative analytics, including artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, can be leveraged to address post-conflict environmental assessment, monitoring, and recovery efforts. Using Ukraine as an illustrative case, the session will consider how environmental impacts of conflict extend beyond national borders, affecting neighboring countries and regional ecosystems, and how these challenges could be addressed through coordinated Earth Intelligence solutions.

The primary objective of the session is to gauge interest and mobilize the GEO community around the potential development of a new GEO Work Programme activity focused on post-conflict environmental monitoring and recovery.

The discussion will explore:

Available technical expertise and existing relevant initiatives and good practices from the GEO community in this domain
The relevance and demand for a dedicated GEO initiative in this domain
Potential scope, user needs, and partnership models of a dedicated GEO initiative
Opportunities to position Ukraine as a pilot case within a broader, scalable GEO initiative addressing conflict-affected environments

Agenda

Session Introduction and Opening Remarks (Sergey Gerasymchuk, Madeeha Bajwa)

Showcases and Technical Demonstrations

Environmental Challenges for Ukraine: Conflict and post-war recovery (Volodymyr Mikheiev)
Assessing the Environmental Consequences of the War: Planning for a green recovery of Ukraine (Pier Carlo Sandei)
Monitoring Transboundary Environmental Impacts: The relevance of Copernicus (Michel Rixen)
Monitoring Climate and Environment in and around Ukraine: What the Copernicus Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services offer (Vincent-Henri Peuch)
The Added Value of Remote Sensing Powered by the EO Hub for the Reconstruction and Restoration of Ukraine (Hans Buurman)

Open Discussion (Moderator: Sergey Gerasymchuk)

Is there interest within the GEO community to co-develop a new GEO initiative on leveraging Earth Intelligence for post-conflict environmental recovery? What unique value could GEO bring in this space?
If so, what should be the appropriate scope (e.g. regional, global, or pilot-based), priority user needs, and partnership modalities to ensure impact and sustainability?
Which existing Earth observation datasets, analytical capabilities, and methodologies within the GEO community and beyond could be mobilized, and how could they be effectively integrated to support post-conflict recovery efforts

Wrap-up and Next Steps (Sergey Gerasymchuk)