RICS shines at FIG Cape Town 2026

FIG Cape Town 2026 was the global surveying event of 2026 - well organised, well attended and, importantly, focused on the issues that matter most to the global surveying profession.

Held in Cape Town from 24–29 May 2026 Invitation to FIG Congress 2026 in South Africa under the theme “The Future We Want – The SDGs and Beyond”, FIG brought together the surveying, geospatial, land and built environment communities in a way that felt both timely and practical.

In terms of scale, the global reach was impressive: FIG has reported that the congress welcomed 1,479 paid delegates from 87 countries, underlining just how international, important and well-connected the profession is.

Our African colleagues attended in force, underlining the importance of the surveying profession to nations struggling with post-colonial legacy land systems, engrained inequality, complex communal systems and the advance of new technology.

What is FIG?

FIG is the international organisation representing the interests of surveyors worldwide. It is a federation of the national member associations and covers the whole range of professional fields within the global surveying, geomatics, geodesy and geo-information community. It provides an international forum for discussion and development aiming to promote professional practice and standards.

FIG was founded in 1878 in Paris by delegates from seven national associations - Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and Switzerland - and was known as the Fédération Internationale des Géomètres (International Federation of Surveyors).

It is a UN-recognized non-government organization (NGO), representing more than 120 countries throughout the world, and its aim is to ensure that the disciplines of surveying and all who practise them meet the needs of the markets and communities that they serve. Objectives very much aligned with RICS.
 

RICS at FIG 2026

RICS had very visible and credible engagement throughout the week long event, most notably through RICS President Nicholas Maclean, who spoke in the Tuesday plenary on “Navigating the future: Surveyors, Public Interest and the Data to Decision Gap” - a timely contribution that reinforced the value of professional judgment, public interest and trusted data in decision-making.

James Kavanagh, Nigel Sellars and Gordon Johnston delivered 6 papers, 2 workshops, chaired Commission 4, 8, 9 sessions. RICS also led a Commonwealth (CASLE) meeting and update, and an special joint session with UN Habitat, World Bank and UN FAO on unregistered land valuation and technology.

Nigel Sellars also presented on the RICS AI standard and its interaction with valuation practice. James Kavanagh also presented on the RICS collaborative initiative with GEOSA in Saudi Arabia. FIG President Diane Dumashie FRICS was ever present and presided over her the last FIG congress of her 4-year tenure.

Government and global policy engagement

Ministerial and government voices were given prominence at FIG Cape Town 2026, and highlighted the profession’s critical role in land security and justice, sustainable infrastructure development and public policy.

The congress was formally opened by South Africa’s Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso, with a welcome also from Alderman James Vos of the City of Cape Town, signalling from the outset that this was not simply a technical gathering but one connected to wider questions of governance, reform and delivery.

That continued through the plenary programme, where senior public and intergovernmental figures were visible at the highest level, including:

• Andre Nonguierma of UNECA/UN-GGIM: Africa on continental geospatial governance
• Nondwe Monyake, Surveyor General for KwaZulu-Natal, in a plenary moderating role
• Luigi Sinapi, Director General of the International Hydrographic Organization, and 
• Victor Khoo of the Singapore Land Authority on digital and geospatial innovation

For me, that gave the congress real substance: it reinforced that surveying and the wider land and built environment professions are not operating at the margins, but at the heart of government decision-making, public interest and long-term national capability.

More broadly, RICS has always had an important and historic (RICS was one of the founding members of FIG nearly 150 years ago) was part of the wider professional conversation, with continued collaboration with CICES in Cape Town around the new Chartered Civil Engineering Surveyor designation.

James Kavanagh also led a Commonwealth roundtable (CASLE) and engaged with the FIG Commission 1 (standards and practice) session on a new FIG code of conduct.

Reflections on FIG Cape Town 2026

FIG Cape Town 2026 really struck the right balance between global perspective and practical professional relevance. It showed the breadth of the global surveying profession, the importance of international collaboration, and the continuing role RICS can play in shaping standards, leadership and public confidence across land, development and the built environment.

Congratulations to our South African colleagues on a wonderful event in a very beautiful and dramatic city, and a great way to bookend the 4 year presidential tenure of Diane Dumashie FRICS as FIG President.