News in 2025
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FIG General Assembly 2025 - report
6 and 10 April 2025, Brisbane, Australia
As part of the FIG Working Week 2025 the FIG General Assembly was
held on 6 and 10 April. A full-day programme was planned for 6 April
with reports from FIG President, Chairs and others as well as
presentations of the candidates for the Chairs Elects positions and
bidders for FIG Working Week 2029.
FIG President Diane Dumashie welcomed all to this 48th FIG General
Assembly in Brisbane. In total 57 member associations attended the
General Assembly. 51 on 6 April and 51 on 10 April.
Out of the 103 member associations 66 registered for voting. This means
that in total there were 80 votes (some members have two and three votes
depending on their size). 68 votes were cast in each voting.
On 10 April a follow-up General Assembly was held with the results of
the elections, reports from activities during the Working Week and
finally the closing speech by President Diane Dumashie.
New members
The first and pleasant activity at the General Assembly is the
admission and welcome to new members who received their certificates by
the President. A warm welcome to the Society of Geodesy and
Geomatics Engineers Azerbaijan as new member association,
Zanzibar Commission for Lands as affiliate members,
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina – UFSC, Brazil
and University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
as academic members.
New corporate members are:
- CHC Navigation, China, Category A – Platinum membership
- Meter Platform & Application Company, Saudi Arabia, Category D,
Bronze level
- Global GIS PVT LTD, Sri Lanka, Category F, regional level
- Alisteshaar Geospatial Consultancy, Saudi Arabia, Corporate
member category F, regional level
The less pleasant part consists of the expulsion of member
associations who are more than three years in arrears. Some members
succeeded in paying their membership fees at the last moment, which
meant that only one association had to be expelled: Bahamas Association
of Land Surveyors (MA-10006). We do hope that they will be able to
restore their membership and come back.
New honorary member
FIG General Assembly applauded the proposal to appoint Mr. Mikael
Lilje, Sweden, honorary member of FIG. He has over many years served
FIG, first in Commission 5, including being chair of the commission, and
hereafter as Vice President for two terms. Mr Rob Sarib, Australia, a
long-term Commission 5 representative and currently Chair of the
Regional Capacity Development Network in Asia/Pacific (AP-CPD) motivated
the nomination, submitted by the Swedish association, with lively and
fun anecdotes that gave a good description of Mikael. Hopefully, Mikael
will continue involved in FIG activities for many years to come.
A special thanks to Jan De Graeve, IIHS&M
The Permanent Institution with the official name of The International
Institution for the History of Surveying and Measurement - in daily
speech IIHS&M has over the years been led by the dynamic Jan De Graeve,
Belgium. The history of surveying and measurement is fascinating, and
IIHS&M have among other things worked on the UNESCO World Heritage
Struve Arc. At each FIG Working Week and Congress there have been either
a pre-event or special sessions related to the history of surveying.
Jan De Graeve has decided to step down, and to pass on the leadership
to John Brock, Australia, who has been very engaged in IIHS&M over many
years, and who has set his personal touch on the institution already. Mr
Jean-Yves Pirlot, Belgium, gave the General Assembly an insight into
some of the amazing undertakings of Jan De Grave
Together with Jim Smith Jan De Graeve has written 7 volumes covering
Three Milleniums of Measurement of Earth - a truly fascinating
collection. WIth the help of Trimble the 7 volumes have been published,
and are available in a limited number.
Read more about this collection here
Commission Chairs Elects
According to the statutes, Commission Chairs Elects are normally elected two years prior to the
year they are elected Chairs (congress year). Already three times, (for
various reasons) this procedure has been amended to take place later. FIG Council
has discussed internally, and in 2024 together with the member
associations at the Presidents meeting, whether a change in statutes
would be beneficial to fit to the current situation. After longer
considerations and consultations FIG Council submitted
a proposal to the General Assembly to change this to one year prior
their election as chairs, which is in principle 1½ years before their
actual start. This was agreed unanimously by the assembly.
Further, the Chairs Elects for the ten commissions for the term
2025-26 (to become chairs 2027-2030) were elected:
- Commission 1: Mark Scanlon, ASC Australia
- Commission 2: Rosario Casanova, AAU, Uruguay
- Commission 3: Markus Schaffert, DVW, Germany
- Commission 4: Gordon Johnston, RICS, United Kingdom
- Commission 5: Kevin Ahlgren, AAGS, United States
- Commission 6: Peter Bauer, OVG, Austria
- Commission 7: Kirsikka Riekkinen, MIL Finland
- Commission 8: Naa Dedei Tagoe, LiSAG, Ghana
- Commission 9: Małgorzata Renigier-Biłozor, SGP, Poland
- Commission 10: Celestine Nkechi Eke, NIQS, Nigeria
Marc Scanlon, Commission 1
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Rosario Casanova, Commission 2
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Markus Schäffert, Commission 3
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Gordon Johnston, Commission 4
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Kirsikka Riekkinen, Commission 7
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Małgorzata Renigier-Biłozor, Commission 9
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Celestine Eke, Commission 10 |
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Destination for FIG Working Week 2029
The final election was to determine the destination and host for FIG
Working Week 2029.
Two strong bids were up against each other from Kampala, Uganda
and Halifax, Canada which gave an exciting campaign and election. The
General Assembly finally elected Halifax, Canada to be the destination
for FIG Working Week 2029 with the national association Canadian
Institute of Geomatics CIG as local host.
FIG Council thanks both Institution of Surveyors of Uganda ISU and
Canadian Institute of Geomatics CIG for their engagement which is vital
to FIG. It is the hope that some other FIG events might take place in
Kampala, Uganda and that the association can be encouraged to bid for a
future year.
Membership fees
FIG membership fees have increased only a few times during the past
15 years, and has not followed the inflation. In 2024 the General
Assembly agreed to increase the member association fee which will be
effectuated from 2026. This increase is needed in the light of e.g. the
recent and current inflation and FIG has experienced a general decrease
in subscription income. Since the General Assembly agree on the
membership two years ahead (in order to be able to incorporate changes
in their national budgets), the proposal at this General Assembly was
concerning 2027. FIG Council suggested to change to a more incremental
increase in membership fee, and for 2027 an increase of close to 2%
which is an increase of €0.10 from 5.20 per national member to 5.30. The
General Assembly agreed to this.
Whereas FIG General Assembly agree on the membership fees for
associations, FIG Council is in charge of the fees of all other
membership categories. FIG Council has decided to increase affiliate
membership from €500 to €600 per year from 2026. This membership fee has
not been increased over the past 15 years - on the contrary, in 2013 it
was reduced with 50% while changing to invoicing every four years
instead of every year.
FIG Affiliate membership fees was increased with €10 from €790 to
€800 in 2026. The corporate member fee was not changed. Currently a
Working Group under Council is focusing on benefits and fees for
corporate members and Council is awaiting their recommendations.
Reports
In her presidents report, FIG President Diane Dumashie, gave an
overview of some of the activities that have taken place during this
past year as well as an update on and the thoughts behind the Council
Work Plan. She thanked all the many active representatives who have been
engaged in making all these many things happen.
At the first General Assembly Commissions, networks and task forces reported to the general
assembly their activities during this past year. Reports from activities
that took place during the Working Week were presented at the second
General Assembly hereunder special session, meetings, fora and the
special SIDS sessions.
FIG Foundation supported four Young Surveyors to attend both the
Young Surveyors Meeting and the Working Week. The grant recipients were
called to the stage at the second General Assembly where they got the
opportunity to present themselves and say a few words on their outcome
of their attendance. Aubrey Barker Foundation supported participants for
the SIDS sessions. Woolpert as well as Surveyors Trust each supported
participation of participants. John Brock, the new President of FIG
Permanent Institution IISH&M has over the years supported the
registration of you Young Surveyors, and 2025 was no exeption. We do
hope that other individuals and companies will follow John Brock and
help sponsor some participants.
Please find handouts to
all reports further down in this report.
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FIG President Diane Dumashie talks to the General Assembly
about the activities during this past year 2024-2025
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FIG Commission Chairs
Grant recipients
Benefits of being a member of FIG
At the general assembly and in the Presidents Meeting FIG President
Dumashie had a special focus on the benefits of being a member of FIG.
The updated benefits are available on the FIG website.
In her closing speech she thanked all for their active engagement, and
for the development in the many areas that FIG cover, hereunder specific
activities on climate actions, special work on the SDGs done by all
commissions, networks and others, and on the work to enhance the
knowledge of surveying and its related professions/topics to young
people to attract them to the profession.
The Presidents of member associations met in the early morning of
Wednesday 9 April before the start of the actual conference day
Closing
FIG President Diane Dumashie held her Closing Speech at the end of
the second General Assembly. In this speech she had collected various
meetings and activities that took place during the Working Week 2025. On
behalf of Council she thanked all who had found their way to Brisbane to
attend this Working Week and especially all the many who over this past
year have contributed significantly to the Council Work plan and
strategic direction.
At the end of the closing FIG President Diane Dumashie thanked the
local organisers for all their efforts and work to make this Working
Week a special and memorable conference. The Working Week was held
jointly with the national Locate event which was beneficial to both the
international and national participants. All enjoyed that all sessions
were joint which gave good discussions and broader perspectives.
At the end the FIG Flag was handed over to the local organisers from
South Africa, who will be local host for the FIG Congress 2026 to be
held in Cape Town 24-29 May 2026.
Reports and handouts from the General Assembly
Pictures
Louise Friis-Hansen
June 2025
