International Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

A/RES/56/51No PDF available

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A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 86International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, published in 2002.

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78 documents · 1960–2025

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2025A/RES/80/76International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer spaceCompare with earlier document
2024A/RES/79/87International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer spaceCompare with earlier document
2023A/RES/78/72International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer spaceCompare with earlier document
2022A/RES/77/121International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer spaceCompare with earlier document
2021A/RES/76/76International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer spaceCompare with earlier document

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What subjects does this mandate have?

18 topics

Arms Race Conferences Consultations Ethics Information Dissemination Observer Status Outer Space Remote Sensing Report Preparation Scientific Cooperation Signatures, Accessions, Ratifications Space Debris Space Environment Space Exploration Space Objects Space Technology Treaties Working Groups

What does this mandate say?

74 operative paragraphs

Endorses the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on the work of its forty-fourth session;3

Urges States that have not yet become parties to the international treaties governing the uses of outer space to give consideration to ratifying or acceding to those treaties;

Notes that, at its fortieth session, the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space continued its work, as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 55/122;

Notes with satisfaction the agreement reached by the Legal Subcommittee on the question of the character and utilization of the geostationary orbit and the subsequent endorsement of that agreement by the Committee;

Endorses the recommendation of the Committee that the Legal Subcommittee, at its forty-first session, taking into account the concerns of all countries, in particular those of developing countries:

Consider the following as regular agenda items:

General exchange of views;

Status and application of the five United Nations treaties on outer space;

iii

Information on the activities of international organizations relating to space law;

Matters relating to:

a. The definition and delimitation of outer space;

b. The character and utilization of the geostationary orbit, including consideration of ways and means to ensure the rational and equitable use of the geostationary orbit without prejudice to the role of the International Telecommunication Union;

Consider the following single issues/items for discussion:

Review and possible revision of the Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space;

Consideration of the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment, which was opened for signature at Cape Town, South Africa, on 16 November 2001, and the preliminary draft protocol on matters specific to space property;

Continue its review of the concept of the “launching State”, in accordance with the work plan adopted by the Committee;

Notes that the Legal Subcommittee, at its forty-first session, will submit its proposals to the Committee for new items to be considered by the Subcommittee at its forty-second session, in 2003;

Agrees that, in the context of paragraph 5 (a) (ii) above, the Legal Subcommittee should establish a working group with the terms of reference as agreed upon by the Legal Subcommittee at its fortieth session, to be convened for three years, from 2002 to 2004;

Notes that the Committee would invite interested member States to designate experts to identify which aspects of the report on the ethics of space policy of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization might need to be studied by the Committee and to draft a report, in consultation with other international organizations and in close liaison with the World Commission, with a view to making a presentation on the matter at the forty-second session of the Legal Subcommittee, under the agenda item entitled “Information on the activities of international organizations relating to space law”;

Notes also that, in the context of paragraph 5 (a) (iv) above and in accordance with the agreement referred to in paragraph 4 above, the Legal Subcommittee will reconvene its working group on the item only to consider matters relating to the definition and delimitation of outer space;

Endorses the agreement of the Legal Subcommittee, in the context of paragraph 5 (b) (ii) above, concerning the establishment of an ad hoc consultative mechanism to review the relevant issues;

Notes that, in the context of paragraph 5 (c) above, the Legal Subcommittee will reconvene its working group to consider the item;

Agrees that, in accordance with the measures relating to the working methods of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies, which were endorsed by the General Assembly in paragraph 11 of its resolution 52/56 of 10 December 1997, the Committee should reach consensus agreement at its forty-fifth session, in 2002, on the composition of the bureaux of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies for the third term, starting in 2003;

Notes that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its thirty-eighth session, continued its work as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 55/122;

Notes with satisfaction that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at its thirty-eighth session continued to consider, on a priority basis, the agenda item on space debris;

Endorses the recommendation of the Committee that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its thirty-ninth session, taking into account the concerns of all countries, in particular those of developing countries:

Consider the following items:

General exchange of views and introduction to reports submitted on national activities;

United Nations Programme on Space Applications;

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Implementation of the recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III);

Matters relating to remote-sensing of the Earth by satellite, including applications for developing countries and monitoring of the Earth’s environment;

Consider the following items in accordance with the work plans adopted by the Committee;

Use of nuclear power sources in outer space;

Means and mechanisms for strengthening inter-agency cooperation and increasing the use of space applications and services within and among entities of the United Nations system;

iii

Implementation of an integrated, space-based global natural disaster management system;

Space debris;

Consider the following single issues/items for discussion:

Examination of the physical nature and technical attributes of the geostationary orbit and its utilization and applications, including, inter alia, in the field of space communications, as well as other questions relating to developments in space communications, taking particular account of the needs and interests of developing countries;

International cooperation in limiting obtrusive space advertising that could interfere with astronomical observations;

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Mobilization of financial resources to develop capacity in space science and technology applications;

Notes that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at its thirty-ninth session will submit its proposal to the Committee for a draft provisional agenda for the fortieth session of the Subcommittee, in 2003;

Endorses the recommendation of the Committee that the Committee on Space Research and the International Astronautical Federation, in liaison with member States, be invited to arrange a symposium on the theme “Remote sensing for water management in arid and semi-arid countries”, with as wide a participation as possible, to be held during the first week of the thirty-ninth session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee;

Notes with satisfaction that an industry symposium, with the participation of member States, will be organized during the thirty-ninth session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, focusing on the promising area of very high resolution remote sensing and its impact on operational applications and also discussing the new space market situation;

Agrees that, in the context of paragraphs 15 (a) (ii) and (iii) and 16 above, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at its thirty-ninth session should reconvene the Working Group of the Whole;

Also agrees that, in the context of paragraph 15 (b) (i) above, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at its thirty-ninth session should reconvene its Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space;

Invites the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities to contribute to the work of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in the context of paragraph 15 (b) (ii) above by, inter alia, considering the barriers to greater use of space applications and services within the United Nations system and suggesting means and mechanisms to eliminate those barriers;

Endorses the United Nations Programme on Space Applications for 2002, as proposed to the Committee by the Expert on Space Applications;

Notes with satisfaction that, in accordance with paragraph 30 of General Assembly resolution 50/27 of 6 December 1995, the African regional centres for space science and technology education, in the French language and in the English language, located in Morocco and Nigeria, respectively, and the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific continued their education programmes in 2001 and that progress has been achieved in furthering the goals of the Network of Space Science and Technology Education and Research Institutions of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and in establishing regional centres for space science and technology education in the other regions;

Notes that Member States concerned in Asia and the Pacific continued to hold further consultations, with the assistance of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, with a view to making the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific grow into a network of nodes;

Recognizes the usefulness and significance of the Space Conferences of the Americas for the Latin American countries, notes with satisfaction that Colombia offered to host a Fourth Space Conference of the Americas in 2003, for which a Preparatory Conference will be convened during the International Air and Space Fair, known as FIDAE, to be held in Santiago in April 2002, and encourages other regions to convene periodically regional conferences with a view to achieving convergence of positions on issues of common concern in the field of the peaceful uses of outer space among States Members of the United Nations;

Urges all Governments, organs, organizations and programmes within the United Nations system as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental entities conducting space-related activities to take the necessary action for the effective implementation of the recommendations of UNISPACE III, in particular its resolution entitled “The Space Millennium: Vienna Declaration on Space and Human Development”,1 and requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session on the implementation of the recommendations of UNISPACE III;

Notes with satisfaction that the Committee at its forty-fourth session established action teams under the voluntary leadership of Member States to implement the recommendations of UNISPACE III, which had been assigned highest priority by Member States and for which Member States had offered to lead activities, and that those action teams would report on the work conducted and submit work plans to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at its thirty-ninth session for approval;

Notes that, in accordance with paragraph 29 of General Assembly resolution 55/122, the resources necessary to carry out measures and activities contained in the plan of action submitted by the Office for Outer Space Affairs to implement recommendations of UNISPACE III had been included in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002–2003 and that the Committee stressed the importance of the full implementation of the plan of action with the necessary resources in 2002;

Agrees that, in accordance with paragraph 30 of General Assembly resolution 55/122, the Committee should include in the agendas of its forty-fifth to forty-seventh sessions an item on the implementation of the recommendations of UNISPACE III;

Requests the Committee to prepare a report under the agenda item on the implementation of the recommendations of UNISPACE III for submission to the General Assembly, in order for the Assembly to review and appraise, at its fifty-ninth session, in 2004, in accordance with paragraph 16 of General Assembly resolution 54/68, the implementation of the outcome of UNISPACE III and to consider further actions and initiatives, and agrees that in this context, it would be advisable to establish a working group of the Committee which would take into account the work of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee on the matter;

Also requests the Committee to submit for consideration by the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session recommendations on the format, scope and organizational aspects of the above-mentioned review by the Assembly;

Urges all Member States to contribute to the Trust Fund for the United Nations Programme on Space Applications to support activities to implement the recommendations of UNISPACE III, in particular the priority project proposals as recommended by the Committee at its forty-third session;

Recommends that more attention be paid and political support be provided to all matters relating to the protection and the preservation of the outer space environment, especially those potentially affecting the Earth’s environment;

Considers that it is essential that Member States pay more attention to the problem of collisions of space objects, including those with nuclear power sources, with space debris, and other aspects of space debris, calls for the continuation of national research on this question, for the development of improved technology for the monitoring of space debris and for the compilation and dissemination of data on space debris, also considers that, to the extent possible, information thereon should be provided to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, and agrees that international cooperation is needed to expand appropriate and affordable strategies to minimize the impact of space debris on future space missions;

Urges all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the goal of preventing an arms race in outer space as an essential condition for the promotion of international cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes;

Emphasizes the need to increase the benefits of space technology and its applications and to contribute to an orderly growth of space activities favourable to sustained economic growth and sustainable development in all countries, including mitigation of the consequences of disasters, in particular in the developing countries;

Agrees that the benefits of space technology and its applications should be prominently brought to the attention of conferences organized within the United Nations system to address global issues relating to social, economic and cultural development and that the use of space technology should be promoted towards achieving the objectives of those conferences and implementing the United Nations Millennium Declaration;

Notes that the Chairman of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space submitted a letter to the Secretary-General, as requested by the Committee at its forty-fourth session, bringing to his attention the need to consider the contributions of space science and technology to a greater extent in achieving the objectives of major United Nations conferences, taking particular account of the needs of developing countries;

Invites all the organs, organizations and programmes of the United Nations system, particularly those that participate in the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities, to identify recommendations of major United Nations conferences that could be implemented with the use of space science and technology;

Decides that the practice of sharing seats on a rotating basis between Cuba and Peru as well as Malaysia and the Republic of Korea shall be terminated, that those four countries shall become full members of the Committee, and that Saudi Arabia and Slovakia shall become members of the Committee;

Agrees that, after the current enlargement of the membership of the Committee, there would be no need to expand its membership further for the next seven years, except in special circumstances meriting consideration before that period has elapsed;

Also agrees that each regional group should hold consultations among its members that are also members of the Committee, for the purpose of urging them to participate in the work of the Committee and its two subcommittees, and that the regional groups would report to the Committee at its forty-fifth session on the results of their consultations;

Endorses the decision of the Committee to grant permanent observer status to the European Association for the International Space Year, the National Space Society and the Space Generation Advisory Council;

Requests the Committee to continue to consider, as a matter of priority, ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes and to report thereon to the Assembly at its fifty-seventh session;

Also requests the Committee to continue to consider, at its forty-fifth session, its agenda item entitled “Spin-off benefits of space technology: review of current status”;

Agrees that a new item entitled “Space and society” should be included in the agenda of the Committee at its forty-fifth and forty-sixth sessions;

Also agrees that the Committee should consider a report on the activities of the International Satellite System for Search and Rescue as a part of its consideration of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications under the agenda item entitled “Report of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee”, and invites Member States to report on their activities regarding the System;

Invites the Committee to expand the scope of international cooperation relating to the social, economic, ethical and human dimension in space science and technology applications;

Requests the specialized agencies and other international organizations to continue and, where appropriate, enhance their cooperation with the Committee and to provide it with progress reports on their work relating to the peaceful uses of outer space;

Requests the Committee to continue its work, in accordance with the present resolution, to consider, as appropriate, new projects in outer space activities and to submit a report to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session, including its views on which subjects should be studied in the future;

Also requests the Committee to consider and identify new mechanisms of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, in accordance with the preamble to the present resolution.

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