The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become a member of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters". The country will be represented in the context of the International Charter by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).
The International Charter aims at providing a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disaster. Authorized user can access and request assistance for emergencies in their own country, or in another country they cooperate with for disaster relief. The United Arab Emirates has stated its readiness to contribute by sharing images and data collected by the DubaiSat-2 satellite, which will be joined by KhalifaSat in early 2018.
The UAE Space Agency was established in 2014 to develop the national space sector. For the Charter’s Board of Directors meetings, the United Arab Emirates will engage in the development of plans and policies. Each institution will play a different role: while NCEMA will provide satellite imagery solicitation during an episode or expectation of a crisis or disaster inside the UAE region, MBRSC will provide and receive information, data and satellite images through its satellites and ground stations.
