Regional Future Earth Meta-Network & Core and Network System (CNS) Meeting and Workshop 2026 

The Regional Future Earth Meta-Network & Core-and-Network System (CNS) Meeting, held in the Philippines on 30–31 March 2026, marked an important transition from conceptual discussions toward the practical development of a regional knowledge-action infrastructure for sustainability across Asia.

Bringing together researchers, government representatives, and sustainability practitioners from multiple countries, the meeting focused on how existing networks, monitoring systems, and knowledge initiatives can be connected through a multi-layered Future Earth Meta-Network supported by the Core-and-Network System (CNS). Participants shared experiences from national and regional initiatives and explored mechanisms for integrating data, knowledge, stakeholder engagement, and decision-support processes across scales.

A key outcome of the meeting was a shared vision that the Meta-Network should be developed as a coordinated and multi-layered architecture linking existing institutions, networks, and initiatives across local, national, and regional scales. Discussions highlighted the importance of interoperable knowledge systems, science-policy interfaces, capacity development, and long-term institutional partnerships as foundations for sustainability transformation.

The meeting also served as a catalyst for national-level implementation efforts. Discussions initiated during the meeting subsequently contributed to the preparation of national Future Earth Meta-Network and CNS initiatives in several countries, including Indonesia and Thailand, demonstrating growing regional momentum toward a coordinated sustainability knowledge infrastructure.

More broadly, participants recognized that the Meta-Network and CNS framework could provide a foundation for a future Socio-Ecological System Knowledge Infrastructure (SES-KI) capable of supporting mission-oriented sustainability actions under the broader vision of the Asia Science Mission for Sustainability (ASM). In this regard, the meeting represented an important step toward establishing a multi-layered SES-KI that connects local initiatives, national networks, and regional collaboration mechanisms to support sustainability transformations across Asia.

This workshop was organized by SIMSEA and partner institutions with support from the Future Earth Cross-Cutting Initiatives Programme, which aims to foster collaboration across Future Earth networks and advance transdisciplinary sustainability science.