United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK), Austria
The Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs (BMEIA), Austria
Background
The second "SDG Summit" - the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development under the auspices of the General Assembly will be convened in September 2023 during the General Assembly high-level week in New York. The Summit will mark the mid-point in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the Summit, the Heads of State and Government will comprehensively review progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and provide political guidance for the way forward. This will also include examination of new science-based solutions, including advanced tools with transformative power and innovative solutions for accelerating the full implementation of the SDGs in the remaining years towards 2030. As Space technology can directly and indirectly accompany the common efforts in virtually every sector and every area of the current processes, UNOOSA together with its stakeholders will continue to raise awareness on the benefits of space applications for everyone, everywhere.
Building on the landmark "Space2030" Agenda: space as a driver of sustainable development and its implementation plan, which is a comprehensive and strategic document charting the way to enhance the contribution of Space and its applications to sustainable development and the realization of other global agendas, namely climate change and disaster risk reduction, UNOOSA will continue to promote the usage and application of space technology in all fora.
The "Space2030" Agenda is a milestone document for COPUOS and for the international community at large because it contributes to aligning space policies with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Agenda contains valuable tools and international and regional mechanisms, programmes, projects and platforms that Member States can benefit from to leverage space technologies and applications and space-derived data to further economic growth and prosperity.
Setting the Stage
The "Space2030" Agenda has a strong focus on partnerships and cooperation among Member States, United Nations entities, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, industry and private sector entities and will also guide the work of the Committee and its subcommittees, supported by the Office for Outer Space Affairs as unique platforms for international cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
In the implementation of the "Space2030" Agenda it is envisioned that each Member State will implement the "Space2030" Agenda on a voluntary basis. In that regard, Member States are invited to actively undertake bilateral, multilateral, regional and broader international space cooperation in various forms, including capacity-building, the sharing of information and infrastructure and the development of joint projects, and, as appropriate, to integrate space cooperation with economic and development.
Objectives
The World Space Forum 2022 aims to:
- Put "Space2030" agenda in the centre as a guiding document to enhance space-derived economic benefits and strengthen the role of the space sector as a major driver for sustainable development.
- Connect "Space2030" Agenda and its implementation plan with the results, recommendations and discussions of the World Space Fora 2019, 2020 and 2021.
- Raise awareness on the "Space2030" Agenda in conjunction with the planned Sustainable Development Goals Summit in 2023.
- Highlight how Space technology can facilitate the implementation of the SDGs
- Present new space technologies that enable progress and drive cooperation and partnership in space
- Bring space actors together to exchange best practices and explore ways to jointly address challenges to humanity and sustainable development issues
The WORLD SPACE FORUM brings together experts and policymakers from regional, national and local institutions, private organizations, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations and international organizations. Such multi-stakeholder composition allows for a truly inclusive, diverse and multilateral dialogue around the four pillars of space economy, space society, space accessibility and space diplomacy.
The organizers strive to support gender mainstreaming in their programmes and are committed to achieving a balanced representation of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
