On Tuesday, 14 January, the Executive Committee of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) met throughout the day in preparation for the tenth GEO Plenary (GEO-X) and the Geneva Ministerial Summit. Also meeting in parallel were the Africa Land Cover Working Group, the GEO Institutions and Development Implementation Board, the GEOSS Interoperability for Weather, Ocean and Water (GEOWOW) General Assembly, and a Joint Meeting of the Disasters Task Team and Geohazards Community of Practice (GHCP).

Throughout the day, the EU sponsored a “Speakers' Corner” with presentations on a number of issues linked to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), while separate special events were held on biodiversity and ecosystems, open access to research data, the GEOSS Water Strategy, bringing GEOSS services into practice, world food systems, application of space technologies in the water sector, the Global Initiative for Cholera Early Warning, air quality and health, the role of mountain ecosystems in the GEO Work Programme, and international collaboration on global land cover data product data validation and services.