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 Third Earth Observation Summit |
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| EO Summit II |
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The Tokyo EO Summit was the second in the series, following the Washington Summit of July 2003. In his welcoming remarks, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said that observing the Earth is an important means of understanding the planet and of understanding the causes and effects of forces acting on the environment and human society. By taking advantage of science and technology, he said, "we can preserve the environment, and at the same time, realise sustainable social and economic development”.
European Commission Research Director General Achilleas Mitsos said, “The interest of the European partners is great. We are ready to contribute to a true partnership for global observations through our initiative on Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, or GMES.”
The declaration of the EO Summit or ‘Communiqué, was signed by all EO Summit participants, and called for strengthened international co-operation on global observation of the environment. The Communiqué expressed: - Satisfaction with the Framework Document, which describes the principal benefits of Earth observations and the fundamental elements to be included in the 10-Year Implementation Plan;
- Support for the process underway and approval for the proposed way forward, recognising the increased membership and participation of countries and organisations since the first Summit;
- The wish for GEO to develop a 10-Year Implementation Plan for what would thenceforth be called a ‘Global Earth Observation System of Systems’ (GEOSS), before the third Earth Observation Summit, to be hosted by the European Union in early 2005.
GEO moves process forwardSubgroups of the GEO were responsible for the development of ideas for the 10-year Implementation Plan, in the form of the ‘GEO Reports to EO Summit II’, delivered in Tokyo. Together, the GEO’s ‘Framework Document’ and the Reports lay the groundwork for the creation of the Implementation Plan itself.
The EC’s Achilleas Mitsos, one of four GEO Co-Chairs, announced that EO Summit III would take place in Brussels in February 2005. “The process we have begun is not a short-term one,” said Mitsos. “It is ambitious, dynamic, and it must be sustained. Europe is willing to shoulder its part of the burden. The European Commission, the EU Member States and our other European partners will continue to contribute to the efforts of the GEO, leading up to, and going far beyond, the next EO Summit.”
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