Congress vows to support UN goals

A declaration was unveiled in Deqing county, Zhejiang province, on Wednesday to mark the conclusion of the three-day United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress, which lured more than 1,200 mapping professionals from 83 countries and regions.

In the Moganshan Declaration, participants vowed to ensure that the importance of geospatial and localization information be fully recognized, and to support the sustainable development goals on a national scale, in a bid to better implement and realize the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

It also called for all member states, institutions, industries and professionals to connect the geospatial information sector with their nations' sustainable development plans.

The closing ceremony was chaired by Stefan Schweinfest, director of the UN Statistics Division.

Wang Chunfeng, a member of the Party committee of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said at the closing ceremony that the ministry will continue to push ahead innovation in the geospatial information technologies, working with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and nations around the world, in a bid to promote the establishment of an open and active global geospatial information market.

Themed "The Geospatial Way to a Better World", the congress brought together global stakeholders at high levels to address issues and ensure that geospatial information achieves its widest utility in the service of social, economic and environmental development.

It focused on enhancing international cooperation among participants from member states, reflecting the importance of geospatial information to support technological development, addressing the development and strengthening of geospatial information management systems and capacities, and demonstrating the importance of international coordination and cooperation for building a human data and geography community for a shared future and a better world.

It was also announced in the declaration that a second congress will be held in four years to discuss and promote the development and progress of the geospatial information sector.

With the start of construction of the Zhejiang Geospatial Information Industrial Park in 2012, Deqing, where this year's congress was held, has been transformed from a county nestled at the foot of Mogan Mountain to a potential geographic information industry base, which integrates an international exchange center, a national innovation center and a national database.

As part of its industrial park, Deqing Geographic Information Town is now considered a key engine for high-quality local economic development, a recent report in People's Daily said.