On Tuesday, September 19, 2017, EO4SDG participated in a high-level side event on Data and Technology to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals: Tackling Global Threats and Ensuring a Better Future for Us All, co-organized by the governments of Kenya, Colombia, Ghana and Sierra Leone, as well as the Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association (GSMA) and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development (GPSDD). This event focused on the political importance of the transformative Agenda 2030, and on sharing inspiring examples of ambitious, in-country data innovation, showcasing new partnerships, projects, and institutions that are leading the way for SDG implementation.

Lawrence Friedl, Director of the Applied Sciences Program at NASA and Co-lead of the EO4SDG Initiative, provided insights in terms of Earth observations products, tools and platforms that can be used to help countries monitor and report on progress in terms of SDG implementation, and offered examples of pilot efforts and engagement with UN Custodian Agencies and government entities to help expand the use of Earth observations for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

You can watch the recording at UN Web TV.