GRF
Global cooperation
The Global Risks Forum (GRF) supports cooperation among institutions that share risks across sectors and borders, always under the mandates they already hold. The multilateral system is reviewing its own architecture through UN80, while basins, grids, shipping corridors and data networks keep failing across borders. GRF works national first: national engagement, then regional cooperation, then global comparison, without merging data or authority.
01Workspace
The workspace for global cooperation.
GRF · GRF · Deliberation deskIllustrative
Deliberation desk
Global cooperation · Council of members · Round 3 of 5 · Example interface, not a record
Options under deliberationGRF · GRF
Deliberation
- Frame the questionagreed
- Evidence briefindependent
- Hear positionsall members
- Optionswith trade-offs
- Recommendreasons
- Decidemandate holder
Positions
| Member state A | Support | Neutral | Object | Funding concern |
| Member state B | Neutral | Support | Support | |
| Regional body | Support | Support | Neutral | Prefers phasing |
| Civil society | Object | Support | Support | Equity |
Rules
- Quorum
- 3 thirds
- Dissent
- recorded with reasons
- Evidence
- brief EB-56
- Decision
- not GRF’s
GRF · Deliberation desk. Deliberation desk: example names and illustrative values, not a record.
02Three levels
Cooperation follows mandates, not the other way round.
National
Country-owned priorities
National structures keep their agenda authority and may decline participation or data sharing. A country listed in the geography does not, by that fact, have a constituted programme.
Regional
Shared systems
Six regions and fifteen planned hubs focus on questions that cross borders. Hubs are planned coordination roles, never offices or territories.
Global
One annual programme
National and regional contributions are designed to meet in Universe, where admitted missions are tested and reviewed findings are published.
03Geography
People and hazards worldwide.
Population density, flood water and night lights across the world, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 3
People and hazards, for this page
About this layer
- Evidence
- Estimated
- Source
- Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University))
- Provider
- NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Vintage
- null; Census-based estimate, static (2020)
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Census-based estimate of people per square kilometre in 2020, shown as exposure context; not a count of people affected by any hazard.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS Global Flood Product (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite detection; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite detection; clouds leave gaps. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2) (NASA LAADS DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LAADS DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite radiance, corrected for moonlight and atmosphere
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-12
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite night-time radiance for the date shown; lights are a proxy for electricity use and outages, not a measurement of supply or access.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds and overpass timing leave gaps)
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m (FIRMS) (NASA LANCE FIRMS)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE FIRMS
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite detection; clouds and overpass timing leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite hot-spot detections for the day shown, including gas flares and industrial heat; not a confirmed fire, an incident report or a warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite image
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite image. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
People and hazards, framed on the world.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · U.S. Geological SurveySources and licences
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), VIIRS 375 m active fire product, NASA LANCE; vector tiles via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
- Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
- Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
- Live: NASA EONET Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- Live: U.S. Geological Survey Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Optional layers (5 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.
Layers and dates
- Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
- Flood water, 3-day composite: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Oct 2026
- Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
- Active fires and thermal anomalies: VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m (FIRMS), NASA LANCE FIRMS · 13 Oct 2026
- True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
04The landscape
Where cooperation on shared risk already happens.
| Layer | Examples | Where a forum adds value |
|---|---|---|
| Universal bodies | UN General Assembly, WHO, WMO, UNDRR, UNFCCC | Preparing national institutions to implement what they adopted |
| Club and finance bodies | G20, Financial Stability Board, OECD | Connecting technical standards to the agencies that apply them |
| Regional organisations | African Union, ASEAN, European Union, CARICOM, SICA | Cross-border questions under regional frameworks |
| Basin and sector bodies | River basin organisations, power pools, port state control | Operational dialogue among the operators of a shared system |
UN80, the Secretary-General’s reform initiative launched in 2025, is reshaping mandates and secretariats; pages here describe bodies by mandate and avoid claims about their future form.
05Routes
Which route fits which question.
- A question about a shared basin, grid or corridor: shared systems.
- A question that needs evidence across borders: science diplomacy.
- A national programme: countries; a regional one: regions.
06GRF’s part
What GRF brings to cooperation.
- Neutral convening of the institutions that share a risk, with a record of what they agree and where they differ.
- Shared situational awareness across borders: a common, recorded picture of a shared system, its dependencies and who decides what.
- Councils for institutions, leaders and expert working groups, each with stated limits.
- Stewardship of the Universe annual programme within GRF’s instruments, where cross-border arrangements can be exercised.
- Science diplomacy through the Diplomacy Nexus, one of GRF’s seven established specialist platforms.
GRF is a Swiss association. It is not a government body, an intergovernmental body or a diplomatic mission, and it does not regulate, finance, procure or certify.
07In this section
Where to go for each kind of cooperation.
- Consortium relationshipWhat it coversHow GRF, GCRI and GRA divide responsibilities in one programme
- Shared risks across bordersWhat it coversBasins, power systems, corridors, health and digital dependencies
- Public-private-planet cooperationWhat it coversThe safeguards that keep collaboration legitimate
- Institutional networksWhat it coversHow participating institutions are recorded, with consent
- Science diplomacyWhat it coversResearch exchange and dialogue across jurisdictions
- Host a programme dialogueWhat it coversHow a host supports a dialogue without controlling it
08Outputs and access
Where cooperation leads, and how to start.
Cooperation produces records, not declarations: dialogue records, mission proposals for Universe, regional findings for the Regional Systems and Universe Annual Synthesis series of Reports, and change proposals under the Nexus Standards where a common method is missing. Information and enquiries are open today. Programme enquiries: the Consortium Secretariat at the contact form. Questions for GRF as an association: the contact form. The Secretariat coordinates country and regional formation: see GCRI’s six programme regions.
09Sources
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
11Questions
Questions and answers.
Does GRF represent countries in international processes?
No. GRF brings leaders and institutions into dialogue and into the annual programme. It never represents a country, and national structures keep their own authority.
Can an international organisation cooperate with GRF without membership?
Yes. Cooperation with public authorities and international bodies never depends on buying a membership tier. Agencies take part through their own authorised instruments.
What does a planned hub mean?
A planned hub is a coordination role proposed for a region. It is not an office, a representation or an exclusive territory, and none is described as operating without a record.
Who coordinates country formation?
The Consortium Secretariat, led by GCRI Canada, coordinates country formation, regional desks and planned hubs. GRF contributes leadership, dialogue and the stewardship of the annual programme.
The Global Risks Forum
Bring a governance question to the Forum.
Information and enquiries are open today. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.
Legal
Legal documents.
Show all 18 legal documents
Maps, data and figures on this site are shown for context and general information. They are not advice, forecasts or warnings; the limits of the information are set out in the Disclaimers and Data Notices.