Reflecting their concern with the environmental problems that pose a common threat to all countries of the world, governments have increased their co-ordination on environmental issues. Their decisions on the collaborative efforts, which are necessary to recognize, define and address specific problems, are often formalized as international conventions.

Integrated global observations are not only crucial for understanding the underlying causes and consequences of environmental change, but also for the implementation and verification of the relevant international conventions. Accordingly, they must be global, homogeneous and continual in nature. In this regard, IGOS might be regarded as an essential bridge between the scientific community, environmental policy-makers and bodies responsible for planning the future observing systems. The IGOS Partners have been working in arenas such as the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE), in order to ensure that observing systems are properly considered when defining common strategic goals and concerted actions.

IGOS Partners have made special efforts to develop discussions on possible contributions to help meet the information and data needs of the various environmental conventions, including: