Richmond Hill, Canada, 22 September 2025 – The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the United Nations General Assembly in New York to establish a Regional Support Office (RSO) in Canada under the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) Programme. Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH, and Ms. Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of UNOOSA, signed the MoU to strengthen cooperation on the application of space-based technologies for disaster monitoring, risk assessment, and emergency response.
The Canadian RSO will serve as a regional hub to support national and regional disaster management authorities by promoting access to space-based resources and earth observation (EO) data for disaster management. It will strengthen capacity in remote sensing technologies and promote knowledge exchange. The office will also build partnerships between governments, research institutions, and UN agencies while contributing to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“Space-based information has enormous potential to save lives and reduce the impacts of disasters,” said Prof. Madani. "Through this Regional Support Office, UNU-INWEH will help bridge science, policy, and practice to equip governments and communities with the tools and knowledge to anticipate, respond to, and recover from disasters more effectively."
With rising global disaster risks, this partnership is timely. “We are delighted to welcome UNU-INWEH as the newest Regional Support Office in the UN-SPIDER network,” said Ms. Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of UNOOSA. “This partnership brings together space-based solutions and world-class expertise on water, environment, and health at a time when climate change is amplifying disaster risks worldwide. By joining forces, we strengthen our ability to support countries—especially in the Global South—in turning satellite data into actionable insights that save lives, safeguard livelihoods, and build resilience for the future.” The RSO in Canada underscores the value of science-policy partnership and reflects UNU-INWEH’s commitment to capacity-building to address pressing global challenges related to water, environment, and health, particularly in regions vulnerable to natural hazards.
Media Contact:
Shooka Bidarian
Media & Journalism Fellow, Sustainability and Climate, United Nations University
shooka.bidarian@unu.edu
