International Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

A/RES/61/111View PDF

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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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78 documents · 1960–2025

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Endorses the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on the work of its forty-ninth session;6

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 as well as incorporating them in their national legislation;

Notes that, at its forty-fifth 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 60/99;

Endorses the recommendation of the Committee that the Legal Subcommittee, at its forty-sixth 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 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations relating to space law;

Matters relating to:

The definition and delimitation of outer space;

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;

Examination and review of the developments concerning the draft protocol on matters specific to space assets to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment;

Consider the practice of States and international organizations in registering space objects in accordance with the workplan adopted by the Committee;

Notes that the Legal Subcommittee, at its forty-sixth session, will submit its proposals to the Committee for new items to be considered by the Subcommittee at its forty-seventh session, in 2008;

Also notes that, in the context of paragraph 4 (a) (ii) above, the Legal Subcommittee, at its forty-sixth session, will reconvene its Working Group and review the need to extend the mandate of the Working Group beyond that session of the Subcommittee;

Further notes that, in the context of paragraph 4 (a) (iv) a. 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;

Notes that, in the context of paragraph 4 (c) above, the Legal Subcommittee will reconvene its Working Group;

Also notes that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its forty-third session, continued its work as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 60/99;

Endorses the recommendation of the Committee that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its forty-fourth 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;

iii

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 workplans adopted by the Committee:

Space debris;

Use of nuclear power sources in outer space;

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Near-Earth objects;

Space-system-based disaster management support;

International Heliophysical Year 2007;

Consider the following single issue/item for discussion: examination of the physical nature and technical attributes of the geostationary orbit and its utilization and applications, including 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;

Notes that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its forty-fourth session, will submit its proposal to the Committee for a draft provisional agenda for the forty-fifth session of the Subcommittee, in 2008;

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 to address the theme “The use of the equatorial orbit for space applications: challenges and opportunities”, with as wide participation as possible, to be held during the first week of the forty-fourth session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee;

Agrees that, in the context of paragraphs 10 (a) (ii) and (iii) and 11 above, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its forty-fourth session, should reconvene the Working Group of the Whole;

Also agrees that, in the context of paragraph 10 (b) (i) above, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee could, at any time during its forty-fourth session, reconvene its Working Group on Space Debris to consider comments resulting from the referral of the guidelines to the national level and any further developments, particularly the relationship between the revised draft of the space debris mitigation guidelines and nuclear power sources in outer space;

Further agrees that, in the context of paragraph 10 (b) (ii) above, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its forty-fourth session, should reconvene its Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space and that the Working Group should continue its intersessional work on the topics described in the multi-year workplan as amended by the Subcommittee at its forty-second session and as agreed by the Subcommittee at its forty-third session and the Committee at its forty-ninth session;

Agrees that, in the context of paragraph 10 (b) (iii) above, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its forty-fourth session, should establish, for one year, a working group on near-Earth objects, in accordance with the workplan under this item;

Endorses the United Nations Programme on Space Applications for 2007, as proposed to the Committee by the Expert on Space Applications and endorsed by the Committee;

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, as well as the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific and the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Latin America and the Caribbean, entered into an affiliation agreement with the Office for Outer Space Affairs and have continued their education programmes in 2006;

Agrees that the regional centres referred to in paragraph 18 above should continue to report to the Committee on their activities on an annual basis;

Notes with satisfaction the contribution being made by the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the efforts of Member States and the Office for Outer Space Affairs to promote and support the activities being organized within the framework of the International Heliophysical Year 2007;

Also notes with satisfaction that the African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Development, the first of which was hosted by the Government of Nigeria in collaboration with the Governments of Algeria and South Africa from 23 to 25 November 2005, will be held on a biennial basis;

Notes with appreciation that the Fifth Space Conference of the Americas was held in Quito from 24 to 28 July 2006 under the auspices of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, the European Space Agency and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and that the Government of Chile held a preparatory meeting for that Conference on 28 and 29 March 2006, with support from the Government of Colombia; notes that the theme of the Fifth Conference was “Regional space cooperation for security and human development” and that its results were set out in the Declaration of San Francisco de Quito and in the Plan of Action of the Conference; notes also that Ecuador will serve as secretariat pro tempore of the Conference for a period of three years, during which it will be responsible for the implementation of the recommended activities and programmes, for which purpose it will work in cooperation with the international group of experts; and notes further that the Sixth Space Conference of the Americas will be held in Guatemala in 2009;

Notes with satisfaction that the Convention on the Establishment of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization was opened for signature in Beijing on 28 October 2005, that as at 1 June 2006 the Convention had been signed by nine States and that once the Convention has been ratified by five States, it will enter into force, thereby establishing the organization, with its headquarters in Beijing;

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;

Notes that space science and technology and their applications could make important contributions to economic, social and cultural development and welfare, as indicated in the resolution entitled “The Space Millennium: Vienna Declaration on Space and Human Development”;2

Reiterates that the benefits of space technology and its applications should be prominently brought to the attention, in particular, of the major United Nations conferences and summits for economic, social and cultural development and related fields and that the use of space technology should be promoted towards achieving the objectives of those conferences and summits and for implementing the United Nations Millennium Declaration;3

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the inclusion of the issue of the use of space technology in the reports submitted by the Secretary-General to major United Nations conferences and summits for economic, social and cultural development, and its inclusion in the outcomes and commitments of those conferences and summits;

Notes with satisfaction the increased efforts of the Committee and its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee as well as the Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities to promote the use of space science and technology and their applications in carrying out actions recommended in the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”);

Urges entities of the United Nations system, particularly those participating in the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities, to examine, in cooperation with the Committee, how space science and technology and their applications could contribute to implementing the United Nations Millennium Declaration, particularly in the areas relating to, inter alia, food security and increasing opportunities for education;

Invites the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities to continue to contribute to the work of the Committee and to report to the Committee and its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee on the work conducted at its annual sessions;

Notes with satisfaction that the open informal meetings, held in conjunction with the annual sessions of the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities and in which representatives of member States and observers in the Committee participate, provide a constructive mechanism for an active dialogue between the entities of the United Nations system and member States and observers in the Committee;

Encourages entities of the United Nations system to participate fully in the work of the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities;

Notes that space technology could play a central role in disaster reduction;

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 General Assembly at its sixty-second session, and agrees that during its consideration of the matter, the Committee could continue to consider ways to promote regional and interregional cooperation based on experiences stemming from the Space Conference of the Americas, the African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and the role space technology could play in the implementation of recommendations of the World Summit on Sustainable Development;

Notes with satisfaction that the Committee established a closer link between its work to implement the recommendations of UNISPACE III and the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development by contributing to the thematic areas that are addressed by the Commission;

Agrees that the Director of the Division for Sustainable Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat should be invited to participate in the sessions of the Committee to inform it how it could best contribute to the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development and that the Director of the Office for Outer Space Affairs should participate in the sessions of the Commission to raise awareness and promote the benefits of space science and technology for sustainable development;

Notes with appreciation that the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems was established on a voluntary basis as an informal body to promote cooperation, as appropriate, on matters of mutual interest related to civil satellite-based positioning, navigation, timing and value-added services, as well as the compatibility and interoperability of global navigation satellite systems, while increasing their use to support sustainable development, particularly in developing countries;

Notes the fact that the Office for Outer Space Affairs could integrate into its programme of work a number of actions identified for implementation by the Office in the Plan of Action of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space for the further implementation of the recommendations of UNISPACE III and that some of those actions could be integrated into its programme of work only if additional staff and financial resources were provided;

Urges all Member States to contribute to the Trust Fund for the United Nations Programme on Space Applications to enhance the capacity of the Office for Outer Space Affairs to provide technical and legal advisory services and initiate pilot projects in accordance with the Plan of Action of the Committee, while maintaining the priority thematic areas agreed by the Committee;

Agrees that the Committee should continue to 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;

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

Also requests the Committee, in view of the importance of space and education, to continue to consider, at its fiftieth session, under its agenda item entitled “Space and society”, the special theme for the focus of discussions for the period 2004–2006 “Space and education”, in accordance with the workplan adopted by the Committee;

Agrees that the Committee should continue to consider, at its fiftieth session, its agenda item entitled “Space and water”;

Also agrees that a symposium on space and water should be held during the fiftieth session of the Committee;

Notes with satisfaction that the Committee agreed to consider, at its fiftieth session, under its agenda item entitled “Other matters”, the issue of the future role and activities of the Committee and noted that the Chairman of the Committee could conduct intersessional, open-ended informal consultations with a view to presenting to the Committee a list of elements that could be taken into consideration at its next session;

Agrees to include in the agenda of the fiftieth session of the Committee a new item, entitled “International cooperation in promoting the use of space-derived geospatial data for sustainable development”, under a multi-year workplan;

Also agrees that a panel on space exploration activities, including the participation of the private sector, should be convened during the fiftieth session of the Committee;

Notes with satisfaction that in accordance with the agreement reached by the Committee at its forty-sixth session on the measures relating to the future composition of the bureaux of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies, on the basis of the measures relating to the working methods of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies, the Group of African States, the Group of Asian States, the Group of Eastern European States, the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Group of Western European and Other States have nominated their candidates for the offices of Chair of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, First Vice-Chair of the Committee, Chair of the Legal Subcommittee, Chair of the Committee and Second Vice-Chairman/Rapporteur of the Committee, respectively, for the period 2008–2009;

Endorses the composition of the bureaux of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies for the period 2008–2009, as reflected in paragraph 50 above, and agrees that the Committee and its Subcommittees should elect their officers at their respective sessions in 2008 in accordance with that composition;

Notes that each of the regional groups has the responsibility to actively promote the participation in the work of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies of the member States of the Committee that are also members of the respective regional groups, and agrees that the regional groups should consider this Committee-related matter among their members;

Requests entities of the United Nations system and other international organizations to continue and, where appropriate, to enhance their cooperation with the Committee and to provide it with reports on the issues dealt with in the work of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies.

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International Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

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