The Delegation from the Secretariat of UNCCD Visited CASEarth for Cooperation and Exchanges
- Time:2018-09-21
On September 17, 2018, Dr. Pradeep Monga, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and his delegation visited the Institute of Remote
Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences to discuss the contribution of Big Earth Data made
for the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing especially on
land degradation assessment. A preliminary intention was reached in cooperation between a research team
from the Digital Belt and Road project of CASEarth and the UNCCD.
LI Xiaosong and SUN Zhongchang, researchers from the Digital Earth Key Laboratory introduced the
framework of CASEarth, the objectives, plans and achievements of Big Earth Data supporting the implementation
of SDGs. They also proposed cooperation prospects on how to efficiently coordinate and promote Big Earth Data
in supporting the implementation of SDGs around the world through the UNCCD. Dr. Pradeep Monga and Dr. Jia
Xiaoxia from the UNCCD Science and Technology Policy Committee introduced UNCCD's positioning,
technological requirements and the latest action plan.
The two parties also exchanged views on how to make full use of the advantages of Big Earth Data to support
the monitoring of SDG 15.3 (By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land
affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world).
Dr. Pradeep Monga highly appraised the potential of Big Earth Data to serve the zero growth of land
degradation around world and in key areas, and proposed the idea of using Big Earth Data to improve the land
degradation technical system for overall dynamic assessment. He hopes to cooperate with CASEarth to carry out
land degradation assessment in Northeast Asia, and provide technology support and application demonstration
of Big Earth Data for developing countries in Northeast Asia.
Fig.1 Dr. Pradeep Monga introducing the positioning of UNCCD
Fig.2 Group photo of all participants
Fig.2 Group photo of all participants