International Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 50 International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, published in 2011.

What else is in this group?

78 documents · 1960–2025

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2025).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/76	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	4,167	–
2024	A/RES/79/87	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	4,172	–
2023	A/RES/78/72	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	3,907	–
2022	A/RES/77/121	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	3,657	–
2021	A/RES/76/76	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	3,618	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

What subjects does this mandate have?

14 subjects

Arms Race Conferences Disaster Prevention Election of Officers International Cooperation Outer Space Regional Cooperation Space Law Space Objects Space Research Space Sciences Space Technology Subsidiary Bodies Sustainable Development

What’s in this document?

44 operative paragraphs

Endorses the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on the work of its fifty-third session;5

Agrees that the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, at its fifty-fourth session, should consider the substantive items recommended by the Committee at its fifty-third session,⁷ taking into account the concerns of all countries, in particular those of developing countries;

⁷Ibid., para. 339.

Notes that, at its forty-ninth session, the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space continued its work,⁸ as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 64/86;

⁸Ibid., chap. II.D; and A/AC.105/942.

Agrees that the Legal Subcommittee, at its fiftieth session, should consider the substantive items and reconvene the working groups recommended by the Committee,⁹ taking into account the concerns of all countries, in particular those of developing countries;

⁹See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/65/20), paras. 228–231.

Urges States that have not yet become parties to the international treaties governing the uses of outer space¹⁰ to give consideration to ratifying or acceding to those treaties in accordance with their domestic law, as well as incorporating them in their national legislation;

¹⁰Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 610, No. 8843); Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 672, No. 9574); Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 961, No. 13810); Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1023, No. 15020); and Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1363, No. 23002).

Notes that, at its forty-seventh session, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space continued its work,¹¹ as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 64/86;

¹¹See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/65/20), chap. II.C; and A/AC.105/958.

Agrees that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its forty-eighth session, should consider the substantive items and reconvene the working groups recommended by the Committee,¹² taking into account the concerns of all countries, in particular those of developing countries;

¹²See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/65/20), paras. 170 and 171.

Notes with appreciation that some States are already implementing space debris mitigation measures on a voluntary basis, through national mechanisms and consistent with the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee and with the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,¹³ endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/217;

¹³Ibid., Sixty-second Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/62/20), paras. 117 and 118, and annex.

Invites other States to implement, through relevant national mechanisms, the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space;12

Considers that it is essential that 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;

Endorses the United Nations Programme on Space Applications for 2011, as proposed to the Committee by the Expert on Space Applications and endorsed by the Committee;¹⁴

¹⁴Ibid., Sixty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/65/20), para. 79; and A/AC.105/969, sects. II and III, and annex III.

Welcomes the progress made by the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems towards achieving compatibility and interoperability among global and regional space-based positioning, navigation and timing systems and in the promotion of the use of global navigation satellite systems and their integration into national infrastructure, particularly in developing countries, and notes with satisfaction that the International Committee held its fifth meeting in Turin, Italy, from 18 to 22 October 2010, which was jointly organized by Italy and the European Commission;

Notes with satisfaction the progress made within the framework of the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) in the implementation of the workplan of the UN-SPIDER programme for the biennium 2010–2011,¹⁵ in particular the work of the UN-SPIDER office in Bonn, Germany, which is establishing a systematic compilation of relevant information with respect to disasters and making it accessible to all end-users, as well as the work of the UN-SPIDER staff in Vienna who are coordinating all the programme activities, including the work of the regional support offices, and encourages Member States to provide all necessary support, on a voluntary basis, to UN-SPIDER, including financial support, to enable it to carry out the workplan;

¹⁵See A/AC.105/937.

Welcomes with appreciation the signing of a host country agreement on 17 June 2010 by the Government of China and the Office for Outer Space Affairs of the Secretariat for the establishment of the UN-SPIDER Beijing office, and welcomes the fact that, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 61/110, regional support offices have been established in several countries to support the implementation of the activities of the UN-SPIDER programme;¹⁶

¹⁶See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/65/20), para. 113.

Agrees that the Office for Outer Space Affairs should ensure, within existing resources, the coordination of the UN-SPIDER SpaceAid framework with mechanisms and initiatives that are making space-based information available to support responses to emergency events, thus avoiding duplication of efforts;

Notes with appreciation that the African regional centres for space science and technology education in the French and English languages, 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, affiliated to the United Nations, have continued their education programmes in 2010, and agrees that the regional centres should continue to report to the Committee on their activities;

Emphasizes that regional and interregional cooperation in the field of space activities is essential to strengthen the peaceful uses of outer space, assist States in the development of their space capabilities and contribute to the achievement of the goals of the United Nations Millennium Declaration2 and to that end fosters interregional dialogue on space matters between Member States;

Recognizes, in this regard, the important role played by conferences and other mechanisms in strengthening regional and international cooperation among States, such as the African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Development, the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and the Space Conference of the Americas;

Notes with appreciation that since the adoption of the Declaration of San Francisco de Quito by the Fifth Space Conference of the Americas in July 2006, more States in the Latin American and Caribbean region have set up national space entities of a civilian nature, thus laying the foundation for enhanced regional cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, and recalls that in the Declaration, States in the Latin American and Caribbean region were invited to, inter alia, “set up national space entities to lay the foundation for a regional entity for cooperation”;

Welcomes with appreciation the organization by the Government of Mexico of the Sixth Space Conference of the Americas, to be held in Pachuca, Mexico, from 15 to 19 November 2010, and notes with satisfaction that the proposed results of the Conference will be aimed towards strengthening the participation of the academic, public and private sectors, as well as youth and non-governmental organizations, in regional and international programmes and projects using space science and technology to support the economic, social, cultural and scientific development of the region;

Urges Member States and invites international organizations to participate actively in the four committees that will meet during the Sixth Space Conference of the Americas;

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 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”,¹⁷ its resolution 59/2 and the Plan of Action of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on the implementation of the recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III);¹⁸

¹⁷See Report of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Vienna, 19–30 July 1999 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.00.I.3), chap. I, resolution 1.

¹⁸See A/59/174, sect. VI.B.

Notes with satisfaction that a number of the recommendations set out in the Plan of Action have been implemented and that satisfactory progress is being made in implementing the outstanding recommendations, and that Member States continue to contribute to the implementation of the recommendations of UNISPACE III through national and regional activities and by supporting and participating in the programmes established in response to those recommendations;

Urges all Member States to continue 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 in accordance with the Plan of Action, while maintaining the priority thematic areas agreed by the Committee;

Reiterates that the benefits of space technology and its applications should continue to be 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;

Notes with satisfaction that the working paper by the Chair of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space for the period 2008–2009 entitled “Towards a United Nations space policy” will be considered by the Committee at its fifty-fourth session;¹⁹

¹⁹See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/65/20), para. 337; and A/AC.105/L.278.

Welcomes the increased efforts to strengthen further the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities, notes with satisfaction that the open informal meetings, held in conjunction with the annual sessions of the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities, provide a constructive mechanism for an active dialogue between the entities of the United Nations system and Member States, and encourages entities of the United Nations system to participate fully in the work of the Inter-Agency Meeting;

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

Agrees that the Director of the Office for Outer Space Affairs should continue to participate in the sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development to raise awareness and promote the benefits of space science and technology for sustainable development;

Calls upon the United Nations University and other institutions of the same nature, within the framework of their mandates, to provide training and to carry out research in the areas of international space law and, in particular, matters relating to disasters and emergencies;

Requests the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and other relevant regional organizations to offer the assistance necessary so that countries can carry out recommendations of regional conferences;

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-sixth 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 Conferences of the Americas, the African Leadership Conferences 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;

Invites the Committee to consider how it can contribute to the objectives of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012;

Notes 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,²⁰ on the basis of the measures relating to the working methods of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies,²¹ the Group of Asian States, the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Group of Western European and Other States nominated their candidates for the offices of Chair of the Committee, Chair of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and First Vice-Chair of the Committee, respectively, for the period 2012–2013;²²

²⁰See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/58/20), annex II, paras. 4–9.

²¹Ibid., Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/52/20), annex I; and ibid., Fifty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/58/20), annex II, appendix III.

²²Ibid., Sixty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/65/20), paras. 301–303.

Urges the Group of African States to nominate its candidate for the office of Chair of the Legal Subcommittee and the Group of Eastern European States to nominate its candidate for the office of Second Vice-Chair/Rapporteur of the Committee, for the period 2012–2013, before the next meeting of those bodies;

Agrees that, upon the nomination of the candidate of the Group of African States and the candidate of the Group of Eastern European States, the Committee and its subsidiary bodies should elect their officers;

Decides that Tunisia shall become a member of the Committee;²³

²³Ibid., paras. 305 and 306.

Endorses the decision of the Committee to grant permanent observer status to the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety;²⁴

²⁴Ibid., para. 308.

Notes that each of the regional groups has the responsibility for actively promoting 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;

Notes with satisfaction that a panel discussion on space and emergencies was held at United Nations Headquarters on 12 October 2010, and agrees that a panel discussion should be held at the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly on a topic to be selected by the Committee, taking into account the panel discussions held on climate change, food security, global health, and emergencies;

Requests the entities of the United Nations system, other international organizations and the Secretary-General 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, and to address the issues covered by the panel discussions held in conjunction with sessions of the General Assembly;

Welcomes the fact that the Committee will celebrate at its fifty-fourth session the fiftieth anniversary of the Committee and the fiftieth anniversary of human space flight.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What else is in this group?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents