Objectives
Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) gathered in Suva for the 2025 Regional Dialogue Forum for Pacific SIDS, under the theme “Geospatial Data to Support Monitoring and Integrated Planning for Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality, Climate Change, and Biodiversity Goals”.
The Forum was co-hosted by the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), the GEO-LDN Flagship, and the Government of Fiji through its Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and The Pacific Community (SPC) were collaborating partners involved in the initial planning and support for Pacific small island states in the build-up to the event.
The three-day event, held from 22–24 July at the Tanoa Plaza Hotel, brought together geospatial experts, government representatives, and regional partners to advance the use of Earth Observation and spatial data in support of sustainable land management, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation across the Pacific. The meeting served as a platform for country teams to present case studies, identify data gaps, and strengthen technical capacity for reporting under three global Multilateral Environmental Agreements – the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The Forum was guided by three core objectives:
- Enable regional and intersectoral exchange and learning: Foster South–South exchange among PSIDS, connect sectors such as agriculture, environment and climate, and build a regional community of practice around geodata, LDN and ILUP.
- Leverage high-resolution geospatial data: Support PSIDS in using finer-resolution geospatial data for monitoring and reporting land degradation (SDG 15.3.1) and tracking progress towards LDN, including preparation for UNCCD 2026 reporting and further development of the LDN Toolbox.
- Harness geodata and ILUP for multiple goals: Explore how geospatial data, information products and Integrated Land Use Planning (ILUP) can jointly serve land, biodiversity, climate and disaster-risk-reduction objectives and help align commitments under UNCCD, UNFCCC and CBD.
Key Moments of the GEO-LDN Regional Dialogue Forum for Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) 2025
In his opening address, Dr. Andrew Tukana, Permanent Secretary for Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, emphasised the urgency of tackling land degradation within the Pacific context:
“Pacific Small Island States are not exempted from land degradation, but the issue extends beyond the environment, posing serious economic, social, and cultural challenges that now threatens livelihoods, disaster resilience, and biodiversity”.
Climate change is amplifying these threats, as severe weather events accelerate land degradation in vulnerable ecosystems. For PSIDS,
“…these challenges are compounded by limited access to high-resolution geospatial data and the small size and fragility of island territories,” – Dr. Tukana
He also acknowledged the importance of global and regional partnerships in supporting Pacific Small Island Developing States. With strong support from SPREP and SPC, the forum promoted peer-to-peer learning and cross-sectoral exchange. Sessions focused on the practical application of high-resolution geospatial datasets, monitoring land degradation (SDG 15.3.1), integrated land use planning (ILUP), and harnessing geodata synergies to achieve multiple environmental objectives.
Participants:
A total of 43 participants from across the Pacific Islands region took part in the Forum, with eight PSIDS represented: seven countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu) received financial support from GEO-LDN, while the Cook Islands participated on a self-funded basis.
The Forum brought together national intersectoral teams and experts from regional and international organisations, including SPC, SPREP, Conservation International, Data Terra, ecolinK and UNCCD.
Event Programme:
Day 1 – Setting the scene with national use cases
- Opening by Dr Andrew Tukana, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji
- Country team presentations on land degradation drivers, existing geodata use and challenges
- Introduction to the UNCCD SDG 15.3.1 reporting methodology
Day 2 – Monitoring and reporting progress towards LDN
- Expert inputs on new high-resolution datasets for SIDS
- Hands-on Trends.Earth demo for calculating SDG indicator 15.3.1
- Consultation on a common land-cover typology for the Pacific
- Marketplace session connecting country teams with experts (Digital Earth Pacific, SPREP’s Pacific Data Hub, UNCCD, Trends.Earth)
Day 3 – Beyond LDN: ILUP for land, biodiversity and climate goals
- Sessions on leveraging synergies across the Rio Conventions and the Sendai Framework
- Group work to develop roadmaps for harmonised monitoring and integrated land-use planning
- Reflections and commitments from experts and countries on next steps.
View the full Report.
Key outcomes from the GDF 2023:
- Shared challenges clearly mapped: Countries identified common constraints: data gaps and coarse global datasets, limited GIS/remote-sensing capacity, financial limitations, institutional silos and land-tenure complexities.
- High demand for capacity development: Strong interest in hands-on training on GIS, LDN indicators and Trends.Earth, as well as ILUP tools tailored to small islands and improved access to high-resolution data for the Pacific.
- Better use of existing and new geodata services. Countries explored and provided feedback on:
- Digital Earth Pacific land-cover and soil products
- SPREP’s Pacific Data Hub
- High-resolution land productivity dynamics for SIDS
- A common Pacific land-cover typology co-developed with Data Terra and ecolinK.
- Roadmaps and strategies for synergies. Cross-country groups drafted roadmaps to:
- Clarify national mandates for geodata and establish central data hubs
- Harmonise indicators and align monitoring across the Rio Conventions
- Use geodata systematically in integrated land-use planning and policy.
- Commitments from partners
- UNCCD: technical support for 2026 reporting on SDG 15.3.1
- GEO-LDN: continued brokering between countries and experts, and potential train-the-trainer sessions with SPC
- UNU-EHS: policy brief on leveraging synergies through geodata
- Conservation International: ongoing support and updates on Trends.Earth
- Data Terra: follow-up on the Pacific land-cover typology
- SPREP & SPC: expanded capacity building, Digital Earth Pacific access and an annually updated regional land-cover product by 2026. 2025-RDF-Pacific-Reviewed-Versi…
- Stronger regional community & next steps: Participants reported increased capacity to use geodata, called for deeper, country-specific trainings, and requested ongoing contact through a mailing list, online seminars and further training opportunities, ensuring the RDF is not a one-off event.
The Dialogue Forum forms part of the GEO-LDN peer-to-peer country support network and contributes to the development of the LDN Toolbox. It also offers an opportunity for Pacific Small Island Developing States to inform the design of tools and datasets relevant to their contexts, ahead of the UNCCD 2026 reporting cycle. (GEO-LDN | About the Toolbox).
