GEO Symposium 2026 and GEO-21 Plenary

Held from 26 to 28 May in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme "Investing in Earth Intelligence for a Resilient Future," the GEO Symposium 2026 and GEO-21 Plenary brought together governments, research organizations, private-sector innovators, and development partners to explore how Earth intelligence can support resilient and sustainable solutions at a pivotal moment in the implementation of GEO's Post-2025 Strategy.

The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) participated in the event. During GEO-21 Plenary Session 3, "From Participation to Partnership: Advancing Member Engagement Across Regions," IAF Executive Director Christian Feichtinger delivered an intervention on behalf of the Federation. In his remarks, he emphasized that the future of GEO depends on genuine, action-oriented partnerships capable of transforming Earth observation data into actionable, scalable, and locally relevant solutions. He also reaffirmed the IAF's commitment to advancing international dialogue and cooperation on climate-related space applications through its flagship events, including the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) and the IAF Global Space Conferences.

Dr. Feichtinger further informed participants of the postponement of the IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC 2026), originally scheduled for 2–4 June 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda. He noted that, following careful evaluation of the evolving international public health situation, the Federation had taken the responsible decision to postpone the event until further notice, prioritizing the health and safety of all participants. He reaffirmed the IAF's commitment to continued collaboration with the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) and expressed appreciation to all speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, and partners for their support.

He also stressed that climate change remains a key priority for the international space community and will feature prominently at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026), to be held from 5 to 9 October 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye.