We are pleased to invite you to the GBIF Asia Virtual Summit organized by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) for the Asia region on Monday 8 November 2021, 07:00-08:30 UTC+1 and 09:30-11:00 UTC+1.

The aim of this virtual summit is to bring Asian stakeholders together to learn about the activities of GBIF, and to address the need for improved access to data on the rich biodiversity of the region. The summit will discuss some of the issues raised in the recently published 20-year review of GBIF, which highlights the need to expand participation in Asia.

In the first session virtual session (07:00-08:30 UTC+1), we will:

·  Introduce GBIF and BIFA

·  Learn about the positive impact of BIFA on mobilizing biodiversity data and broadening the community of practice in the region, through the success stories and lessons learned of previous project holders

·  Focus in on examples of the relevance of open biodiversity data in the region to support research on human health

·  Present recent developments in working to mobilize biodiversity data from the Private sector, including through the Data4Nature initiative

·  Respond to your questions and provide information on how to stay engaged with GBIF and BIFA in the future

In the second virtual session (09:30-11:00 UTC+1), we will bring together representatives from BIFA project teams and the Participant nodes in the region. We will hear more about the newly funded BIFA projects and discuss how these activities can contribute to the work through the nodes to strengthen engagement in Asia.

The webinar (presented in English) will take place on Zoom; please register to participate.