UbuntuNet Alliance joined regional research and education networking partners from across the world in signing the Helsinki Declaration, a renewed global commitment to strengthen collaboration in support of Earth Observation and the international Group on Earth Observations (GEO) community. The declaration was signed on 10 June 2026 during TNC2026 in Helsinki, Finland, bringing together ASREN, GÉANT, RedCLARA, TEINCC, UbuntuNet Alliance and WACREN. The signing marked an important step in the evolution of a collaboration that began with the Katowice Declaration, first signed in 2021 and later expanded in 2023 to include UbuntuNet Alliance and WACREN. With TEINCC now joining the partnership, the declaration reflects a broader global alliance spanning the Arab States, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
The Helsinki Declaration recognises the critical role that research and education networks play in enabling the exchange of Earth Observation data, information and knowledge across borders. As the world responds to climate change, disasters and the demands of sustainable development, researchers increasingly depend on reliable, high-capacity digital infrastructure to move, process and share large and complex datasets. The declaration acknowledges that regional and national research and education networks are central to making this possible, not only by providing connectivity, but also by supporting collaboration, open science, capacity building and engagement with research communities.
For UbuntuNet Alliance, the declaration reinforces the importance of Africa’s research and education networks in global scientific collaboration. Earth Observation is directly relevant to many of the challenges facing Eastern and Southern Africa, including climate resilience, food security, disaster preparedness, environmental monitoring, water resource management and sustainable development. By being part of this global declaration, UbuntuNet Alliance strengthens its commitment to ensuring that the region’s universities, research institutions and knowledge communities are connected to the global infrastructures, partnerships and data ecosystems that support research with real societal impact.
The declaration also places strong emphasis on human and technical capacity building. This is particularly significant for UbuntuNet Alliance and its member NRENs, as it aligns with ongoing efforts to strengthen digital capabilities across the region’s research and education sector. The Helsinki Declaration highlights the need to support researchers and end-user communities that produce and use GEO data, improve awareness of the services that NRENs and RRENs can provide, and increase digital literacy, including for women active in the GEO ecosystem. Another important area addressed by the declaration is open access. The partners recognise the need for policies that enable GEO data to be accessed and used as widely as possible, in line with broader open science principles. For UbuntuNet Alliance, this supports the goal of enabling equitable participation by African researchers in global research, ensuring that access to data, infrastructure and collaboration opportunities is not limited by geography.
UbuntuNet Alliance welcomes the signing of the Helsinki Declaration as a renewed commitment to global cooperation, shared infrastructure and inclusive research collaboration. Through this partnership, UbuntuNet Alliance will continue working with its members and international partners to support the movement of knowledge, data and innovation across borders, and to ensure that Eastern and Southern Africa remains an active contributor to global efforts in Earth Observation, climate action and sustainable development.
The Helsinki Declaration was made at TNC2026, hosted in Helsinki, Finland. More information about TNC2026 is available at https://tnc26.geant.org/. The full Helsinki Declaration can be read here: https://connect.geant.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Helsinki-Declaration.pdf