"Correct the Map" : Rebalancing Global Cartographic Representation and Promoting Equitable Representation of the World's Regions, Particularly Africa

A/RES/80/307View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 13 Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields, published in 2026.

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 subjects

Africa Cartography Maps

What’s in this document?

26 operative paragraphs

Affirms that cartographic distortions of continental sizes inherited from history have cognitive, educational, cultural, geopolitical and socioeconomic impacts and constitute historical biases, the correction of which will promote recognition, justice and development, particularly with regard to the African continent;

Recognizes that the Mercator projection, widely used around the world, particularly distorts, from the perspective of area representation, continental masses located far from the equator, resulting in a proportional shrinkage of Africa and other regions;

Declares that the Equal Earth cartographic projection offers a more accurate representation of the sizes of continental landmasses and to this end is a relevant option for improving the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world;

Emphasizes the need to promote more accurate and scientifically sound cartographic representations of the globe;

Encourages Member States, international organizations and other relevant entities to adopt, disseminate and use the Equal Earth cartographic projection and equal area map projection methods, which more accurately reproduce the actual areas of the continents, where their sizes are critical;

Encourages the development of international standards aimed at ensuring more accurate representation of sizes of continents in digital and printed mapping tools, in accordance with relevant United Nations frameworks;

Invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, the Office for Outer Space Affairs and other relevant United Nations entities, as appropriate, in accordance with their respective mandates, to collaborate with regional organizations, including the African Union, and academia in order to:

Promote more accurate, internationally accepted geospatial, geodetics and cartographic standards to reflect the accurate sizes of continents, where appropriate;

Support the improvement of educational curricula relating to geospatial education, research, innovation and skills development, to reflect more accurate sizes of continents;

Encourage the production and distribution of authoritative and scientifically accurate geospatial information and maps that conform to the actual surface areas of the continents;

Strengthen national geospatial capabilities;

Urges global technology platforms to engage in constructive dialogue with Member States and regional organizations with a view to promoting more accurate cartographic representations, including the Equal Earth cartographic projection of the globe, according to United Nations principles, standards and guidelines;

Invites technology companies and digital actors, as appropriate, to promote transparent and inclusive practices in the representation of continental sizes, taking into account applicable United Nations principles, standards and guidelines and international law;

Urges Member States, international institutions and civil society organizations to explain to users the methods of cartographic projections, including their characteristics, limitations and appropriate applications, and, acknowledging that each projection serves specific cartographic purposes, to undertake awareness-raising initiatives aimed at strengthening, among the populations concerned and the general public, geographical knowledge, strategic understanding and awareness of the cultural and historical significance of cartographic representations of continental sizes for collective identity, including through information and communications technologies and artificial intelligence;

Encourages Member States to:

Integrate the critical teaching of cartography into school curricula to raise awareness of more accurate continental sizes;

Promote the use of cartographic representations, depending on the intended use, that more accurately reflect continental sizes and geographical realities, including the Equal Earth cartographic projection;

Raise awareness among educational, scientific and media stakeholders about issues related to cartographic projection biases;

Invites Member States, international organizations, academia and specialized bodies to:

Develop, adopt and disseminate internationally recognized standards, guidelines and good practices for more accurate and authoritative geospatial cartographic representation of sizes of continents in accordance with United Nations principles, standards and guidelines;

Promote research and innovation in the field of map projections;

Emphasizes the importance of promoting North-South cooperation, South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation, while taking into account different national circumstances, in the field of mapping and geospatial information;

Encourages capacity-building in developing countries, particularly African countries, the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States, middle-income countries and countries in conflict and post-conflict situations, in the areas of cartography, geomatics, geodesy and geospatial technologies, including through international cooperation, technical assistance, training, knowledge-sharing, technology transfer on mutually agreed terms, improved access to geospatial data and support for the development of national geospatial information infrastructures;

Invites all Member States to promote the “Correct the map” initiative in order to promote a more accurate representation of continental sizes globally;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide, until and including at its eighty-third session, information on the implementation of the present resolution, within existing resources, in relevant existing reports submitted to the General Assembly, as appropriate;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its eighty-third session an item entitled “Promotion of accurate cartographic representation of continents for educational and socioeconomic purposes and strengthening of technical assistance in geospatial capabilities of developing countries”.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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