The World Environment Situation Room (WESR)

The planet is ongoing rapid transformation regarding climate, biodiversity, pollution, deforestation, water and air quality, population and socio-economic contexts. Decisions can only be taken if the Drivers, Pressures, Status, Impacts are correctly identified and understood, thus leading to appropriate Responses (DPSIR). In March 2019, Ministers of the Environment of Member States adopted the Ministerial Declaration “Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production” as the main outcome of the 2019 UN Environment Assembly. In terms of specific mandates, Member States also reinforced the ability of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to develop knowledge management systems for the environment, by calling upon UNEP to develop a global environmental data strategy by 2025 in cooperation with other relevant United Nations bodies. Monitoring the environment needs to be based on relevant (scientifically solid) data and as close as possible to near real time. The level of knowledge, data and information in UNEP covers a wide range of issues and themes. Our common level of understanding is high, but fragmented and spread on numerous websites, platforms. Some data are no longer available at the end of a projects, thus leading to data losses. In this context the World Environment Situation Room (WESR) is the UNEP online data, information and knowledge platform. It enables users to visualize, interrogate, access, link and download data, information and knowledge products regarding the World environment. This platform is at the heart of UNEP’s main processes for assessments, foresights, monitoring, communications, support to UN country team and related Common Country Analysis (CCA), for following progresses made regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for which UNEP is custodian and for near real time monitoring.
MapX is one of the key geospatial components of WESR. In this frame, it provides hundreds of geospatial layers as well as knowledge management products (e.g., dashboards, trends, story maps) at various geographical scales, from the local to the global.