On September 5, 2025, a Special Session on Digital Earth Technologies for Promoting Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and South Pacific Island Countries (SPIC) was held at the Headquarters of the International Science and Technology Organizations in Chaoyang District, Beijing. 

The special session was co-organized by the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), and many other institutions, with the support of the Beijing International Science and Technology Exchange Center (BISTEC), and the Pacific Academy of Sciences (PAS).

The event gathered over 50 delegates from UN DESA, SIDS, and SPIC governments and institutions for discussions on leveraging geospatial technologies to address challenges like climate change and SDG monitoring.

Moderated by Dr. Zhen Liu, Executive Director of ISDE, the session opened with remarks from UN DESA representatives Mr. Sai Navoti, Mr. Wei Liu, and Ms. Azeema Adam, alongside Prof. Changlin Wang, Secretary-General of ISDE. Mr. Navoti noted that SIDS are becoming renewable energy pioneers, with geospatial and Digital Earth technologies amplifying their efforts and collective voice. Prof. Wang emphasized that Digital Earth technologies are essential for UN frameworks, such as the SDGs and climate action, and can provide solutions in addressing SIDS challenges.

The session featured six keynote presentations by leading field experts, including Mr. Felix Xavier Estico, Member of UN SG’s 10 High-level Representatives to Promote Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs and Executive Chairman of Seychelles Centre for Innovation and Sustainable Development (SCISD), Prof. Gensuo Jia, Deputy Director General of CBAS, Dr. Sharon Torao Pingi, Lecturer of the University of Papua New Guinea, Prof. Huaguo Zhang, Deputy Director of State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Nature Recourse, China, Mrs. Chandranee Rughoobur, Senior Statistician of the Statistics Mauritius, and Prof. Saini Yang, Executive Director of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) of the International Science Council (ISC).Their presentations spanned topics from STI governance and technology assessment to climate change, marine monitoring, AI and data, and disaster risk reduction.

The following panel discussion focused on practical solutions for the unique challenges of SIDS and SPIC, advocating for stronger stewardship of AI and digital toolkits as well as open data and international cooperation to bridge data and capacity gaps.