COPUOS, Day 2

The general exchange of views at COPUOS continued on Thursday, June 10th.  Most agenda items at COPUOS are discussed over several days, with a certain portion of each session devoted to an agenda item.  The schedule for the day is available every morning in a journal, which also briefly lists the previous day’s activities.  Journals can be found online, with about a one day delay. During the morning session, Dr. Mazlan Othman of Malaysia, the director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) gave a statement reviewing the office’s activities over the past year. UNOOSA is the primary UN entity dealing with space, although space technologies are widely used by a number of UN bodies, particularly in communications and Earth observations.  UNOOSA serves as the secretariat for COPUOS, maintains the Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space, and runs the UN Programme on Space Applications.  The Programme on Space Applications supports the use of space technology for economic and social development through training, education, development support, and other activities in developing countries.  UNOOSA runs on financial and in-kind support from member States and other entities. 

The Committee began its consideration of another agenda item on Thursday, the ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes.  This agenda item, among other things, examines the role that space assets can play in sustainable development, and considers the role of regional cooperative groups, like the African Leadership Conferences on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and the Space Conferences of the Americas.  Thursday also saw the beginning of the technical presentations, given during the last hour of both the morning and afternoon sessions.  Technical presentations detail space-related activities and organizations of member States. CSIS had the opportunity to deliver a presentation about the Space Initiatives project in the afternoon.

CSIS will be at COPUOS until Wednesday - please check for future updates.

Ashley Bander

Research Associate, Space Initiatives