Statement of Secure World Foundation to the Group on Earth Observations – GEO Global Forum 2025 & GEO-20 Plenary
Title: Statement of Secure World Foundation to the GEO Global Forum 2025
Date: May 2025
Event: Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Global Forum & GEO-20 Plenary
Location: Rome, Italy
Secure World Foundation submitted this statement to the GEO Global Forum 2025 to reinforce its support for the GEO Post-2025 Strategy and Work Programme. The statement commends GEO for its leadership in raising the profile of Earth observation data as an indispensable input for global development and disaster response.
The letter emphasizes:
- Continued support for open data sharing norms in Earth observation
- Rising orbital congestion and space debris threats to data continuity
- The need for operators across government and commercial sectors to adopt and internalize the UN Long-Term Sustainability (LTS) Guidelines
- SWF’s call for all GEO members to raise awareness and apply these guidelines at the national level
- Reference to key SWF resources:
- 2024 Handbook for New Actors in Space (2nd ed.)
- 2025 Global Counterspace Capabilities Report
- Space Sustainability: A Practical Guide
- 2024 COPUOS Briefing Book
- 2018 UN COPUOS LTS Guidelines Fact Sheet
SWF highlights that Earth observation users—many of whom are not space operators—must be made aware of growing risks to orbital access and data continuity. In doing so, SWF continues its mission to bridge policy, transparency, and best practice in international space governance.
