CCOP

As an endorsing partner, we are delighted to support GEOMIN, which will take place this September in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. We also sincerely encourage colleagues and professionals from the Member Countries’ geoscience community to take part in this exciting event.

GEOMIN is far more than a conference, it is an international platform that brings together leaders and experts from geoscience, mining, and innovation to exchange knowledge, build connections, and advance AI-powered exploration and data-driven discovery across the Super Region.

Abstract submissions are now open until 11 May 2026:

GEOMIN 2026 | Mineral Exploration & Mining Conference | Uzbekistan Building on the landmark success of GEOMIN 2025 in Saudi Arabia, GEOMIN 2026 moves to Uzbekistan, strategically positioned at the crossroads of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

On 7-9 April 2026, the 86th CCOP Steering Committee Meeting was held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, which was attended by 50 delegates from 13 Member Countries. Dr. Philipp Schmidt-Thome, Chairperson of the CCOP Advisory Group and Mr. Marcus Dobbs, Vice-Chairperson of the CCOP Advisory Group respectively, were also present.

Haji Shaharuddin Khairul bin Haji Anuar, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Infrastructure, Housing and Professional), Ministry of Development, Brunei Darussalam, and Ir. Norazmi bin Othman, Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam to CCOP and Acting Director General, Public Works Department, Ministry of Development, Brunei Darussalam, delivered the welcome address. Dr. Shinsuke Nakao, Chairperson of the CCOP Steering Committee, Permanent Representative of Japan to CCOP, and Director General of the Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, delivered the opening address.

The Meeting reviewed the CCOP Progress Report 2025, and approved the CCOP Workplan 2026, and the CCOP Finance Report. The arrangements for hosting the CCOP Annual Sessions and Steering Committee Meetings for the period 2026–2028 was also discussed.

In addition, the Meeting was briefed on the amendments to the CCOP Procedures, as well as cooperation proposals with Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and International Geological Congress (IGC) 2028. The proposal to admit Deep-time Digital Earth (DDE) as a CCOP Cooperating Organization was also approved.

On 5-6 February 2026, the 6th IGTL Geoscience International Conference 2026 was organized by the Institute of Geoscience of Timor-Leste (IGTL) in Dili, Timor-Leste.

The opening was attended by the H.E Mr. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor Leste and H.E. Mr. Francisco da Costa Monteiro, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Timor-Leste. The conference served as an important platform for the exchange of knowledge, the discussion of emerging scientific and technological trends, and the formulation of strategic approaches to the sustainable utilization of geoscientific resources among experts, researchers, industry practitioners, and policymakers from across a wide range of geoscience disciplines.

Mr. Yongzheng Ma, Director of the CCOP Technical Secretariat, was invited to deliver a keynote presentation titled “Regional Cooperation in Geoscience: Strengthening National Capacity through Data, Standards, and Partnerships”. In the presentation, Mr. Ma highlighted the CCOP’s achievements in regional and international cooperation as well as the role of promoting sustainable development of geoscience in the East and Southeast Asia.

On 6 February 2026, Dr. Songyang Wu, Regional Expert of the CCOP Technical Secretariat, joined the panel discussion with a theme of Geoscience, Mineral Resources & Energy for Economic Growth. He shared views on how the National Geological Survey could contribute to the generation of geoscience knowledge that supports national strategies for mineral resource development. He also highlighted the importance of international cooperation and how CCOP’s regional cooperation with IGTL could accelerate the country’s capacity to generate reliable geoscience data and integrate it into sustainable development planning.

https://ccop.asia/news/330