INTRODUCTION

Space technologies and particularly Earth Observation applications, can valuably contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals – providing information useful on a wide range of areas like food security, management of natural resources, desertification, climate monitoring, humanitarian aid, etc. The mention to their use as tools for the support of sustainable development has thus, been integrated in strategic documents adopted both by the European Union (EU) and by the African Union (AU).

The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), an initiative of the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA), is being developed to provide, on a sustained basis, reliable and timely services related to environmental and security issues in support of users and public policy makers’ needs. 

GMES has the potential to serve the African continent and thus, the African Union, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and five Economic Regional Communities in Africa have requested the extension of GMES services and applications to African and ACP countries, trough the “Maputo Declaration” signed October 2006.
Under the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council it is proposed to start the process of the extension of GMES services to Africa.

It is time to pursue a close dialogue for the identification and integration of the African users and policy makers’ requirements in the extension and adaptation of GMES services to the African Continent; 

It is time to take stock on existing relevant initiatives and projects for maintaining and building earth observation capacities in Africa;

It is time to establish a long term partnership among the European stakeholders and the African counterparts, aiming at the joint implementation and operation of GMES Africa;

It is time to explore the International dimension of GMES, and consolidate both the European and African contributions to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS);

It is time to make use of space applications for strengthening the European-African cooperation on sustainable development and scientific cooperation;

It is time to start the “Lisbon Process on GMES Africa”.