Reducing Space Threats Through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behaviours

A/RES/76/231No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 98dReducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours, published in 2021.

What other versions does this mandate have?

4 versions · 2020–2024

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/79/22

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2020A/RES/75/36Reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours

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What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

International Security Outer Space Space Exploration Space Objects Working Groups

What does this mandate say?

13 operative paragraphs

Affirms that all States must conduct their activities in the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, in conformity with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, and urges Member States to take this into account when formulating their space policies;

Encourages those States that have not yet become parties to the international treaties governing the exploration and use of outer space to give consideration to ratifying or acceding to those treaties in accordance with their national law, as well as incorporating them into their national legislation;

Expresses the desire that all Member States reach a common understanding of how best to act to reduce threats to space systems in order to maintain outer space as a peaceful, safe, stable and sustainable environment, free from an arms race and conflict, for the benefit of all, and consider establishing channels of direct communication, including for the management of perceptions of threat;

Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly pursuant to its resolution 75/36, and his recommendation that Member States study the ideas contained therein and decide on an inclusive process to take these issues forward at the seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly;

Decides to convene, beginning in 2022, an open-ended working group:

To take stock of the existing international legal and other normative frameworks concerning threats arising from State behaviours with respect to outer space;

To consider current and future threats by States to space systems, and actions, activities and omissions that could be considered irresponsible;

To make recommendations on possible norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours relating to threats by States to space systems, including, as appropriate, how they would contribute to the negotiation of legally binding instruments, including on the prevention of an arms race in outer space;

To submit a report to the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session;

Also decides that the open-ended working group shall work on the basis of consensus, hold its organizational session in Geneva for two days, and meet in Geneva for two sessions of five days each in both 2022 and 2023, with the participation of intergovernmental organizations and other entities having received a standing invitation to participate as observers in the work of the General Assembly, as well as organizations and bodies of the United Nations, and with the attendance of other international organizations, commercial actors and civil society representatives, in accordance with established practice, and further decides that the Chair may also hold intersessional consultative meetings with interested parties to exchange views on the issues within the mandate of the open-ended working group;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide all necessary assistance to the open-ended working group and its Chair and to transmit its report to the Conference on Disarmament and the Disarmament Commission;

Continues to invite States members and observers of the Conference on Disarmament and the Disarmament Commission to inform those bodies of their national space security policies, strategies or doctrines, on a voluntary basis, in accordance with and in support of the mandates of those bodies;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-seventh session, under the item entitled “Prevention of an arms race in outer space”, the sub-item entitled “Reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours”.

54th (resumed) plenary meeting

24 December 2021

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