United Nations Platform for Space-Based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response

A/RES/61/110View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 30International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, published in 2006.

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What does this mandate say?

16 operative paragraphs

Recognizes that disasters affect many areas of the Earth and that coordinated international efforts are required to reduce their impacts, and that space technology and its application can play a vital role in supporting disaster relief operations by providing accurate and timely information and communication support;

Also recognizes the important role that coordinated applications of space technology can play in the implementation of the Hyogo Declaration and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters, adopted by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, held at Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, from 18 to 22 January 2005;

Further recognizes that different international initiatives aimed at utilizing space-based disaster information and services exist, such as the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems, the Charter on Cooperation to Achieve the Coordinated Use of Space Facilities in the Event of Natural or Technological Disasters and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and that the availability of such services should be promoted among developing countries;

Notes with concern that unless a global, integrated and coordinated approach is undertaken, building upon the experiences of existing international initiatives, the utilization of space assets in support of disaster management will continue to lag significantly in most parts of the world and that a considerable gap will exist and is likely to remain in all areas of space technology applications to disaster management;

Takes note with appreciation of the study of the ad hoc expert group established by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on the possibility of creating an international entity to provide for coordination and the means of realistically optimizing the effectiveness of space-based services for use in disaster management;

Decides to establish a programme within the United Nations to provide universal access to all countries and all relevant international and regional organizations to all types of space-based information and services relevant to disaster management to support the full disaster management cycle by being a gateway to space information for disaster management support, serving as a bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities and being a facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening, in particular for developing countries;

Agrees that the programme would be supported through voluntary contributions and through a rearrangement of priorities within the framework of the United Nations reform process and, if necessary, a rearrangement of priorities of the Office for Outer Space Affairs of the Secretariat and that the additional activities would not, as far as possible, have a negative impact on the current programme activities of the Office and should not result in an increase in the total regular budget of the United Nations;

Endorses the recommendation of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space that the programme have an office in Beijing and an office in Bonn, Germany, and that the activities of the programme be carried out within the proposed implementation framework presented to the Committee;

Notes that due consideration would be given to the possibility that the programme could have a liaison office in Geneva that would contribute to disseminating and integrating the work of the programme within the disaster reduction and humanitarian response communities;

Takes note with appreciation of the commitments of support for the establishment of the programme made by Austria, China, Germany and India and the offers of support once it is established made by Algeria, Argentina, Italy, Morocco, Nigeria, Romania, the Russian Federation, Switzerland and Turkey;

Agrees that the programme should work closely with regional and national centres of expertise in the use of space technology in disaster management to form a network of regional support offices for implementing the activities of the programme in their respective regions in a coordinated manner and to take advantage of the important experience and capabilities being offered, and to be offered, by Member States, particularly by developing countries;

Requests that the programme also work closely with the international initiatives noted in paragraph 3 above in order to avoid duplication of efforts;

Requests the Office for Outer Space Affairs to develop a detailed workplan for the programme for 2007 and for the biennium 2008–2009 to be considered during the forty-fourth session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, taking into consideration the commitments received, and in consultation with the representatives of countries that have provided or would be providing commitments, as well as with the representatives of other countries that have indicated their interest in contributing to the development of the workplan;

Agrees that the partners implementing the programme should endeavour to initiate activities in January 2007 or as soon as it is practicable, in order to enable the programme to begin providing support for disaster management at the earliest possible time;

Also agrees that the programme should be named the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (SPIDER), and that it should be implemented as a programme of the Office for Outer Space Affairs under the Director of the Office, as an open network of providers of disaster management support, and that the Director of the Office would be responsible for the overall supervision of the programme;

Further agrees that the programme should report to and receive guidance from the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space through the Office for Outer Space Affairs.

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United Nations Platform for Space-Based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response

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