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    www.eyeonearthsummit.org

    Eye on Earth Summit & ExhibitionABU DHABI, 12TH15TH DECEMBER 2011

    From a moment to a movement.

    Under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, Eye on Earth is a global summit

    meeting devoted to the issue of greater access to environmental and societal data.

    The Summit is facilitated by Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) and hosted by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

    (EAD) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

    The vision of Eye on Earth was formed almost ten years ago, the moment when Abu Dhabi Global Environment Data Initiative (AGEDI)

    was announced, on 2 September 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg by the United

    Arab Emirates (UAE) as a Type II Initiative.

    The need to ensure readily accessible, accurate and relevant data from which to inform sound environmental management, monitoring

    and performance was emphasised.

    Under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,

    President of the UAE

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    Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative

    PO Box 45553 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates

    T : +971 2 445 4777 | F : +971 2 446 3339 | [email protected]

    Todays challenges have grown beyond those faced in 2002.

    Water scarcity, food security and climate change are issues of policy that require action and solutions that extend beyond

    political boundaries. The need for collaboration, information and understanding is greater than ever.

    Eye on Earth will address this challenge by convening world leaders, the environmental and societal information

    networking movement and others to:

    Conveneto celebrate best-impact data initiatives from around the globe;

    Convergeon key issues to reach consensus on solutions to greater data accessibility;

    Collaborateto strengthen existing initiatives and, where necessary, to launch new ones.

    Attendees will include:

    Heads of international environmental and development institutions

    Executives of the worlds major geospatial and data processing corporations

    Global philanthropists, developmental and environmental activists

    Ministers of environment and development

    Executives of statistical and standards bodiesExecutives of major land-user corporations

    The foremost academics active in the field

    WHY IT MATTERS

    Access to environmental knowledge is critical. Wise decision-making depends on an ever-growing pool of often-

    unavailable data. It may be absent, inaccessible or simply hidden.

    Emerging economies are losing valuable environmental assets as a result of inaccurate decision-making caused by the

    lack of useable quality data. Much of the worlds growing flood of data is inaccessible. Incompatible standards, bureaucratic

    hurdles, unsuitable operating procedures, lack of open access or mere ignorance of its existence are as much of a prob-

    lem as missing data per se. These are issues that can only be resolved by a concerted effort of all those involved, from

    information specialists to policymakers.

    HOW TO PARTICIPATE

    To register your interest, or if you would like to receive regular updates about the Eye on Earth Summit and Exhibition,

    please visit www.eyeonearthsummit.org

    Across the world, sharing information has always been crucial to good decision-making. Ensuring that environmental

    and societal data is accessible to all those who need it whether scientists, communities, governments or thought-

    leaders, is essential to moving the world towards a future founded on

    informed policy-making. This is especially the case in emerging economies

    and to ensure sustainable development patterns and I am very proud that

    EAD will be hosting this summit, said H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak,Secretary General of EAD.

    Welcoming the announcement of the Summit, Achim Steiner, Executive

    Director of UNEP said: In the run-up to the 2012 UN Conference on

    Sustainable Development, Eye on Earth presents a timely opportunity to

    identify practical measures to bridge the environmental knowledge gap

    and deliver the information and data needed to support a transition to a

    low carbon, resource efficient global Green Economy.

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    www.eyeonearthsummit.org

    AGEDIABU DHABI GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL DATA INITIATIVE

    Informing a sustainable world.

    Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) was launched by the United Arab Emirates Government, under the

    guidance and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the United Nations World Summit for Sustainable

    Development in Johannesburg in 2002, to address the impact of missing or weak environmental data on emerging economies efforts

    to achieve sustainable development.

    Socio-economic and environmental sectors throughout the world, and particular those of emerging economies, are potentially

    losing valuable assets as a result of inaccurate decision-making caused by the lack of useable quality data.

    AGEDI was also formed to address the UAEs concerns regarding the approach and criteria used for the results of the Environmental

    Sustainability Index (ESI), produced by the World Economic Forum in February 2002, which had ranked the UAE 141 out of 142

    countries. It was recognised that the application of non-region specific measures and associated indicators presented skewed

    results. The need to ensure readily accessible, accurate and relevant data from which to inform sound environmental management,monitoring and performance was emphasised.

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    Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative

    PO Box 45553 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates

    T : +971 2 445 4777 | F : +971 2 446 3339 | [email protected]

    Today, AGEDI works with Partners, Members and stakeholders throughout the world to achieve a more sustainable future through

    best-impact access to environmental and societal data, to meet the challenges that have grown beyond those faced in 2002.

    Water scarcity, food security and climate change are issues of policy that require action and solutions that extend beyond political

    boundaries. The need for collaboration, information and understanding is greater than ever.

    AGEDI provides user-friendly access to high-quality environmental information, through a variety of information products. While

    Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) champions AGEDI locally, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) champions

    it regionally and globally. AGEDI works closely with international networks to facilitate and enhance information exchange.

    AGEDIs objectives

    Enhance environmental data collection and assessment

    Increase data capacities for local, national, regional, and global environmental

    decision making

    Ensure sustainable development planning is based on timely, useable,

    and updated data and information of high quality

    Boost the accessibility of data and information by all

    Enhance national and international information processing and exchange

    mechanisms

    Enhance national information handling and communications capacities.

    AGEDIs flagship local product is the Abu Dhabi State of the Environment report, accessible at www.soe.ae. AGEDI collaborates

    on a number of projects with strategic partners including Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF), UNEP

    and EAD, working together to achieve the shared aim of ensuring effective access to the world's expanding pool of environmental

    and societal data by all of those who need it.

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    www.eyeonearthsummit.org

    Abu DhabiCAPITAL OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

    Abu Dhabi is the largest and most populated of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, with over 80% of its

    landmass and a population of over 1.6 million people (the UAEs is over eight million). In terms of per capita income, Abu Dhabi isone of the wealthiest states in the world, on a par with Luxembourg, Norway or Qatar.

    Abu Dhabi is ruled by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

    To date, 13% of the Abu Dhabis territory has been designated as protected areas. Despite its arid climate, Abu Dhabi hosts between

    450 and 500 terrestrial plant species and close to half the worlds Arabian Oryx population.

    Residents from a wide variety of nationalities are proud to call Abu Dhabi home and believe that our Emirate is a great place to live,

    work and visit. Abu Dhabi believes that it is the responsibility of all - Government, NGOs, private sector and individual citizens -

    to make sure that this uniqueness is preserved for future generations.

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    Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative

    PO Box 45553 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates

    T : +971 2 445 4777 | F : +971 2 446 3339 | [email protected]

    ABU DHABIS NATURAL HERITAGE

    Abu Dhabi Emirate, has a rich natural heritage with an exciting mix of geology,

    habitats and species, both on land and in the sea. The varied geology of mountains

    (rising above 1200m in the East), sandy desert, wadis and salty flats ('Sabkha')

    create the conditions for a diverse range of habitats. Abu Dhabi is home to all types

    of land vertebrates - mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Two to three million

    birds also pass through the UAE every year on their migration from the heart of

    Asia southwards to Africa, or eastwards to India or beyond.

    Abu Dhabis marine habitats are home to the second largest population of dugongs

    in the world. Abu Dhabis coastal waters are also home to the endangered

    hawksbill and green turtles, four globally-threatened species of shark, three

    threatened species of ray and around 240 species of fish.

    From the rolling red dunes of the Rub' Al Khali ('Empty Quarter', the largest sand

    desert in the world) to the ruggedness of its mountain outcrops, and from its

    sandy beaches to the azure blue Gulf, Abu Dhabi is home to a variety of stunning

    contrasting landscapes teeming with unique fauna and flora.

    AMAZING BIODIVERSITY

    Abu Dhabi is blessed with amazing biodiversity and natural resources. It has evolved

    from a traditional economy based on subsistence fisheries, pearling, oasis agriculture

    and grazing livestock to a fully urbanised country in less than two generations.

    With the population predicted to more than double between now and 2030,there will be increased demand for land, energy, water, food and other products.

    Around 65% of Abu Dhabis water comes from groundwater, the remainder

    being provided by desalination plants and water recycling. But in our arid

    environment groundwater renews itself slowly, causing the supply to diminish.

    The per capita consumption of goods and emissions of greenhouse gases in Abu

    Dhabi is currently amongst the highest in the world. Abu Dhabi will need to look

    to both policy changes and changes in individual habits to reduce consumption

    and emissions to acceptable levels.

    PROTECTING ABU DHABIS FUTURE

    A comprehensive policy, legal and governance framework for environmental

    sustainability, to be completed by the end of 2011, will be a critical component of

    the Government's Vision for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi for the next twenty years.

    Made up of:

    1. An assessment of the current state of the environment in Abu Dhabi Emirate

    and the development of future scenarios;

    2. The development of a vision statement, policy framework, and action plan

    that will address priority environmental concerns, and;

    3. A detailed analysis of the current institutional setting, including a gap analysis

    and recommendations for how best to address those gaps.

    The vision for the environment will complement the Governments Economic

    and Social Visions. It is intended that this framework, along with the Economic

    and Social Visions, will provide a shared foundation for environmental decision-

    making across all sectors in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi for the next two decades.