When and where is the 3rd UNWGIC?

From 16 to 19 November 2026 at The Ritz-Carlton Jeddah, Southern Corniche District, Al Hamra, Jeddah. Preparatory meetings for committee and bureau members are held on 14 and 15 November.

Is there a registration fee?

No. Participation is free for all registered participants.

How does registration work?

Participants first submit a request to participate online; the UN-GGIM secretariat reviews it and, if approved, invites the applicant to complete full registration. The registration deadline was extended to 15 October 2026. Badges are collected on site from the day before the Congress opens.

No. The Congress is in person only, with no virtual participation.

What language is the Congress held in?

The working language is English.

Third United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (3rd UNWGIC)

Name: Third United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (3rd UNWGIC)
Start: 2026-11-16T09:40:00+00:00
End: 2026-11-19T17:00:00+00:00
Location: The Ritz-Carlton Jeddah

About this event

The United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress is the flagship event of UN-GGIM, the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, and it is convened only once every four years. Its third edition comes to Jeddah, hosted by Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA) and organized by the UN Statistics Division, under the theme "Navigating the Next Frontier: Embracing the Digital Renaissance and a New Geospatial Paradigm". The Congress is expected to close with an outcome document setting pathways for the next decade of global geospatial information management.

Who attends

The Congress is a multi-stakeholder forum, with participation expected at ministerial and senior leadership level, and it actively encourages next-generation and women practitioners.

National mapping, cadastral and statistical agencies
Government ministries and policymakers
International and regional organizations
Geospatial and technology companies
Universities and research institutions
Civil society and geospatial societies

Programme

Each of the four congress days has its own theme, with an opening ceremony, keynotes, plenaries and up to eight parallel tracks of sessions, plus exhibitions and side events. Preparatory meetings of the UN-GGIM bureau, regional committees and congress committees take place on 14 and 15 November.

Day 1, The Vision: a digital geospatial renaissance
Day 2, The Integration: model, decide, manage
Day 3, The Innovation: responsible, people-centric and AI-enabled
Day 4, The Future: the age of deep learning and artificial intelligence

Topics in the parallel sessions

Parallel blocks run across six programme themes: vision, governance and value; integration, interoperability and knowledge systems; technology, AI, innovation and disruption; participatory and people-centred outcomes; partnerships, investment and implementation; and regional and specialised domains. Early sessions cover responsible AI in geospatial ecosystems, GeoAI ethics, land information infrastructure, climate intelligence and urban resilience, and financing geospatial services through PPPs and procurement.

participants expected: 1,800+
countries expected: 120+
presentations planned: 144+
years between congresses: 4

Third United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (3rd UNWGIC) is a Big Data event taking place 16-19 Nov 2026 at The Ritz-Carlton Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.