The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) concluded its 59th annual session in the premises of the United Nations Office at Vienna. The Committee was set up by the General Assembly in 1959. The Committee is the only committee of the General Assembly dealing exclusively with international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, and its role as a forum to monitor and discuss developments related to the exploration and use of outer space has evolved alongside with the technical advancements in space exploration, geopolitical changes, and the evolving use of space science and technology for sustainable development.
In his initial remarks during this session, the Chairman of the Committee welcome the newest Member States: El Salvador, Israel, Oman, Qatar, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. The Chairman also made reference to the recent advances on the peaceful uses of outer space, and commented that this year the International Space Station completed 100,000 orbits around Earth since it was launched.
Mrs. Di Pippo, Director of UNOOSA, made reference to the UNISPACE+50 process that was launched by the Committee last year, and which was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly. She indicated that the UNISPACE+50 process …“is truly an important endeavour that will chart the future role of the Committee and of the Office for Outer Space Affairs in global space governance.” In addition, Mrs. Di Pippo made reference to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Mrs. Di Pippo also made reference to the 10th anniversary of the UN-SPIDER programme and used the opportunity to brief delegates attending this session on the efforts conducted by the programme in the last decade.
For more information on the Committee, please visit the following webpage: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/copuos/comm-subcomms.html
