The 60th session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space will take place in Vienna from 7-16 June 2017. COPUOS was set up by the General Assembly in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for the benefit of all humanity: for peace, security and development. The Committee has since been tasked with reviewing international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, studying space-related activities that could be undertaken by the United Nations, encouraging space research programmes, and studying legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space.
International cooperation in space exploration and the use of space technology applications to meet global development goals are discussed in the Committee every year. Owing to rapid advances in space technology, the space agenda is constantly evolving. The Committee therefore provides a unique platform at the global level to monitor and discuss these developments.
The annual meeting provides an ideal opportunity to discuss questions relating to current and future activities in space. The topics up for discussion this year will include:
- Ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes.
- Report of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee on its fifty-fourth session.
- Report of the Legal Subcommittee on its fifty-sixth session.
- Space and sustainable development.
- Spin-off benefits of space technology: review of current status.
- Space and water.
- Space and climate change.
- Use of space technology in the United Nations system.
- Future role of the Committee.
A Panel discussion organized by the Office for Outer Space Affairs on the theme “The Outer Space Treaty: 50 years – looking ahead towards 2030” will also be held on Wednesday, 7 June 2017.
The full agenda of the annual session can be found here.
