The United Nations/Russian Federation Workshop on "Human Capacity-Building in Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Social and Economic Development", which took place in Samara, Russian Federation from October 30 to November 2, aimed to address the role of human capacity building for using space science, technology and its applications in support of sustainable development, with a particular focus on developing and emerging countries. The workshop was co-organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Samara National Research University, and co-sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA).
The main objectives of the workshop were the following:
- An examination of the opportunities for development of human potential in relation to UNISPACE+50 Thematic Priority 7 (TP7) "Capacity-building for the 21 st Century" and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on "Quality Education"
- A review of the status of global, regional and national capacity-building efforts in space science, technology and its applications
- A promotion of the implementation and coordination of international cooperation programmes in space-related fields that promote sustainable development, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- An exchange of views on capacity-building in areas such as micro- and nanosatellites, remote sensing of the Earth, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technologies, basic space science, healthcare and disaster mitigation-related applications of space technologies
- An examination of the role of academic institutions and space industry in supporting capacity-building efforts
- A definition of strategies to provide cost-effective capacity-building that meet social and economic needs, with a particular focus on developing and emerging countries
The programme of the workshop included keynote addresses, technical presentations at the thematic sessions complemented by a technical visit organized by the hosts, discussions and a poster session.
The presentations at the technical sessions covered the following topics:
- Global, regional and national initiatives to enhance space-related human capacity-building
- Education on space science, technology and its applications: new methodologies and the way forward for capacity building
- Contribution of human capacity building in space science, technology and its applications to sustainable development
- Industry support of capacity-building activities
- Best practices and challenges of promoting space education, in particular in developing and emerging countries, and among women and the youth
- Enhancing public awareness and increasing support for space activities
Recordings of the opening ceremony, the "High Level Panel on Human Capacity Building" and in total nine sessions can be found here.
