People visit a satellite model on an exhibition featuring Big Earth Data facilitating the monitoring and evaluation of SDGs in Beijing, Sept. 6, 2021. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By Staff Reporters

The International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) was officially launched in Beijing, China on September 6, 2021.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the opening ceremony of the center.

In his letter, Xi noted that the founding of the center is an important move to implement his call at the 75th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to support the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets clear goals for national development as well as global development and cooperation.

The world is reeling under the huge impact of COVID-19. The sci-tech innovation and application of big data will help the international community to overcome difficulties and implement the UN 2030 Agenda globally, Xi said in his letter.

He expressed the hope that all sides can make full use of the platform provided by CBAS and the forum to explore ways of sustainable development supported by big data, strengthen international cooperation, and make joint efforts to contribute to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a video speech at the opening ceremony of the center and the three-day forum.

Affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the center focuses on multidisciplinary research related to Earth system science, social and economic sciences, as well as sustainability science.

The "Big Data Platform System for Sustainable Development" developed by the center was also unveiled.

This system is the first SDGs-tailored big data cloud service basic platform in China, providing one-stop SDGs services and public data products for users.

The report on "Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals (2020)" was drafted by CAS and released on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN.