United NationsOffice for Outer Space Affairs

  STATEMENT BY SIMONETTA DI PIPPO

DIRECTOR

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS

  Fifty-fourth session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee 
of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

Vienna, 30 January - 10 February 2017

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

On behalf of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, I warmly welcome you all to the fifty-fourth session of this Subcommittee and thank you for the opportunity to address this session on the work of the Office. I would also like to welcome you, Ms. Chiaki Mukai, as the Chair of the Subcommittee for this present session, and to assure you of our commitment to assist you in running the meetings. Also, I wish to thank Mr. V. K. Dadhwal, Chair of the fifty-third session of the Subcommittee, for his able leadership and constructive cooperation.

I likewise join you, Madam Chair, in welcoming New Zealand as a new State member, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as a new permanent observer of the Committee.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

In accordance with the plan of work for UNISPACE+50, contained in document A/AC.105/L.297 and endorsed by the Committee at its 58th session in 2015, the preparation for UNISPACE+50 has been well underway since the last session of the Subcommittee. I'm pleased to report that the Committee in June 2016 at its 59th session endorsed, upon the recommendation of this Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee, a set of seven UNISPACE+50 thematic priorities.

A detailed description of the thematic priorities, their objectives and the respective mechanisms as indicated by the Committee for their implementation are contained in the 2016 report of the Committee (document A/71/20, para. 296). Moreover, the status of preparations for UNISPACE+50 is further described in Conference Room Paper 5, which will be before delegations at this current session and is intended to assist delegations further in preparation for UNISPACE+50. I will brief the Working Group of the Whole in this regard. The historical overview of UNISPACE conferences and the way ahead, which last year was before delegations as a conference room paper, has been updated and, as mandated by the Committee, made available in all official UN languages as document A/AC.105/1137.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

The Office for Outer Space Affairs is committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to address overarching, long-term development concerns and identify areas where the use of space tools is critical and needs to be strengthened. To this end, the Office has defined four thematic pillars (space economy, space society, space accessibility and space diplomacy) to guide the process further.

I'm pleased to report that our High Level Forum was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 20 to 24 November 2016, organized by the Office for Outer Space Affairs in collaboration with the Government of the United Arab Emirates. The Forum provided a valuable opportunity for the space community to collectively elaborate recommendations for the UNISPACE+50 blueprint and Space2030, which are contained in the Dubai Declaration, as annex to the report of the Forum, document A/AC.105/1129. The High Level Forum proved to be a venue for dialogue among Governments, international organizations, industry, the private sector, academia and civil society, to connect the four pillars, UNISPACE+50 and Space2030, and to facilitate partnerships with the Office for Outer Space Affairs. In that respect, the Dubai Declaration also recommends that the High Level Forum become a permanent platform for strengthened partnership among all relevant stakeholders in working towards Space2030.

Also, I am pleased to inform you that a letter of designation of Mr. Scott Kelly, former astronaut of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as United Nations Champion for Space was signed. As Champion for Space, Scott Kelly will support the Office for Outer Space Affairs to promote space as a tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as raise awareness of the Office's activities, including activities related to UNISPACE+50.

Further, I am glad to announce that, upon the confirmation by the Government of the United Arab Emirates, the next High Level Forum (HLF 2017) will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 6 to 9 November 2017.

A vital part of the Office's activities in support of UNISPACE+50 and the series of High Level Fora is the availability of adequate funding. This is also key for the promotion of space-based applications and technologies for innovative and timely actions to support Member States in meeting objectives of the global development agenda. I will get back to this critical issue later in my statement.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

It is in connection with the above-outlined complex plans, activities and initiatives aimed at the development of UNISPACE+50 that the Office has undertaken a number of important transitional measures. An increasingly more demanding working environment, caused by the decrease of Regular Budget allocation, as per the decision of the General Assembly, across the board in the UN Secretariat had to be taken into account. The implementation of the UN enterprise resource planning system, UMOJA, the parallel increase of requests from an increased number of Member States, and the additional mandate of the Office relevant to the fulfilment of the 17 SDGs, are factors that considerably change the way the Office can operate in order to effectively strategize, manage and implement our mandated activities. These transitional measures are also aimed at taking into account the evolution in the past years, whereby the Programme on Space Applications is not the only function of the Office dealing with capacity-building. In a broader perspective, the Office delivers more and more capacity-building services also in disaster risk reduction, space law and policy, registration practices, institutional and structural, and in support of access to space with specific attention to developing countries. UNOOSA has hereby broadened its capacity-building function to better service Member States.

So, firstly, the function of the Expert on Space Applications has been assigned with the post of the Director of the Office. Secondly, planning and reporting on the activities conducted under the Programme on Space Applications and UN-SPIDER, as well as overall capacity-building activities, are being conceptually reconsidered to accommodate numerous UNISPACE+50 themes and priorities within existing workshops, seminars, technical advisory missions, and other relevant activities of the Office. Moreover, transitional efficiency measures have been put in place aimed at strengthening existing collaboration and opening up new partnerships, with the goal of assuring a flawless process towards UNISPACE+50, and, at the same time, working towards the definition of a more resilient capacity-building programme for the Office.

You will note the reports of 2016 activities in formal United Nations documents and conference room papers already issued, and the Programme's and UN-SPIDER's summaries in the Annex and Appendix to this report.

We are assessing the effectiveness of these transitional measures so that we can efficiently react, within the capacity of the Office's limited human and financial resources, to the expectations of the Committee and its member States, as well as of the Organization and other stakeholders, all linked to the ongoing preparations for the milestone event - UNISPACE+50.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

With regard to its responsibilities in discharging the Secretary-General's obligations under international space law, in particular maintenance of the United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space, the Office is pleased to note that a number of new space nations are actively working to register their space objects and fulfil their treaty obligations. As delegates are aware, the last few years have seen a significant increase in the number of satellites launched per year: from 120 in 2010 to 220 in 2016. It is expected that the numbers will continue to increase in the future. Unfortunately, I regret to inform delegates that the total number of unregistered space objects per year has also risen from 10 in 2010 to 190 in 2016. The Office invites States that have not done so to register their space objects with the Secretary-General. My staff stand ready to provide any assistance that may be required.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

In terms of the Office's new mandates, I would like to inform you that the General Assembly in its resolution 71/90 (para. 9) endorsed the recommendation by the Committee that the Office for Outer Space Affairs serves as the permanent Secretariat of the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG), an entity established together with the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) to implement the recommendations for an international response to the near-Earth object impact threat. The Office is working with SMPAG to finalize the funding for this new mandate, as appropriate.

Furthermore, upon the recommendation by the Committee at its 59th session, the General Assembly in that same resolution (71/90, para. 10) declared 30 June as International Asteroid Day to observe each year, at the international level, the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908 and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard. The Office is looking forward to working with stakeholders to use the opportunity of the newly proclaimed International Asteroid Day, 30 June, in this respect.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

The Office for Outer Space Affairs, as the Executive Secretariat of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG), is implementing the ICG's programme on the applications of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) with the aim of enhancing the use of GNSS technology for the economic and social development of all nations. In 2016, the Office conducted a wide range of seminars, training courses and workshops that brought together a large number of experts, including specialists from developing countries, to discuss GNSS applications in various fields of the world economy that were also highly relevant to ICG.

The eleventh meeting of ICG and the seventeenth meeting of the Providers' Forum were held in Sochi, Russian Federation, from 6 to 11 November 2016, hosted by the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, and I wish to inform you that the Government of Japan will host the twelfth ICG meeting from 3 to 8 December 2017. I would like to bring to your attention that the ICG document "Extracts from reports of the ICG and its Providers' Forum", consolidating decisions reflected in the reports of past meetings of ICG and its Providers' Forum, is now available on the UNOOSA website. I also wish to highlight the remarkable work ICG is doing to promote international cooperation in the peaceful uses and exploration of space and how important this is in helping to build a multi-GNSS environment for sustainable development. It is a pleasure for me to inform you that the Office for Outer Space Affairs will host the fifteenth meeting of the ICG in the year 2020 in Vienna.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

The 36th session of the United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities (UN-Space) was held on 3 March 2016 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The session was co-hosted with the Office for Disarmament Affairs.

Under the framework of UN-Space, the Office has led the preparation of the report of the Secretary-General entitled "Coordination of space-related activities within the United Nations system: directions and anticipated results for the period 2016-2017 - meeting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" (A/AC.105/1115). The report is instrumental in assisting our Committee in its preparations for UNISPACE+50 by providing an overview of efforts by United Nations entities with regard to the peaceful uses of outer space.

In line with the request of the 58th session of the Committee to issue a special report by UN-Space on the implementation of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) report, the special report entitled "Role of United Nations entities in supporting Member States in the implementation of transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities" is available in all United Nations languages in the document A/AC.105/1116.

In meeting the request of the Committee made at the 59th session last year, States members of the Committee will receive, in the coming weeks, an official invitation to submit views on the report under consideration, and on transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities, for consideration at the sixtieth session of the Committee in June 2017.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

In this context and in view of the fiftieth anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty, I would like to point out that the General Assembly in its resolution 71/90 decided to convene a joint half-day panel discussion of the First Committee and Fourth Committee, to constitute a joint contribution by those Committees to the fiftieth anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty, and to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-second session, under the item entitled "International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space", a sub-item entitled "Joint panel discussion of the First and Fourth Committees on possible challenges to space security and sustainability". The joint panel discussion will take place in October this year in New York.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

As I mentioned already in previous statements in past years, and on various occasions, the financial situation of the Office is becoming increasingly challenging. As outlined a few minutes ago, the Office indeed applied some transitional measures to try to cope with it.

The constraints faced by the entire organization with respect to the regular budget and the impact of the budget cuts enforced by the General Assembly over the past 5 years have unfortunately eroded the Office's flexibility in implementing the various components of the current programmes.

The Office is hopeful that, with your support, the full impact of the reduction of the regular budget can be mitigated by increasing its extra-budgetary funding and in-kind contributions in the coming years, particular as we work towards UNISPACE+50 and beyond.

In this respect, it is with great pleasure and gratitude that I acknowledge and sincerely thank Austria, China, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the United States for their voluntary cash and in-kind contributions. We also remain indebted to contributions regularly received from key players among the Committee's permanent observers, together with an increasing number of non-governmental entities that are either already supporting the Office or have expressed interest in doing so.

Despite those contributions, and anticipating the challenge of the advent of UNISPACE+50 preparations, the Office launched additional calls for funding assistance through the multi-donor strategy support initiative and additionally, via note verbale, to all permanent missions, for additional staffing support in 2016.

With the aim of involving more stakeholders and non-governmental entities, including industry and the private sector, UNOOSA is engaging in a UN-wide effort to define appropriate procedures to master these collaborations. CRP.20 will be presented to the Working Group of the Whole to this end. I want to stress the importance for the Office to further develop such relationships with different actors in the overall space community.

As to the note verbale call for additional staffing support, we are deeply grateful to those Member States that have responded positively to this call. To date we are fortunate to report that 2 additional staff, on a non-reimbursable loan (NRL) basis, provided by Austria (FFG) and China (CNSA), will be supporting the Office in Vienna to implement its Space Applications Programme and UN-SPIDER. In addition, China (CNSA and NRDCC) and Germany (DLR) continue to provide staffing support, also on a non-reimbursable loan basis, to the UN-SPIDER activities of the Beijing and Bonn Offices, and Japan (JAXA) is maintaining its long-standing effort with a NRL in Vienna, in support of the Human Space Technology Initiative. The Office has received other offers of support and is in discussion with those Member States. All the donors and contributors are listed in the Annex. Allow me, Madam Chair, to thank again all our supporters and donors. While in fact these contributions do not allow a full recovery from the challenging situation the Office has to face, this increasing interest is a clear sign of the support and trust of Member States and relevant stakeholders in the Office and its activities.

We have also to bear in mind that the Office's regular budget has been decreased over the past 5 years by approximately 15%, whereas demand for support, services and additional mandates has increased over the same period, including an increase in the membership of the Committee by 15%. I therefore appeal to you today to give consideration to ways and means of providing the Office with a solid resource foundation that will lay the ground towards the implementation of UNISPACE+50 and beyond. For more detailed information on the evolution of the Office's resources, including cash and in-kind contributions, please see the Annex to my statement.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,

UNISPACE+50 presents itself as a unique opportunity for the Committee, its Subcommittees and the Office to claim a central role for outer space activities as a tool for the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals, so that no one is left behind.

Madam Chair, in concluding, let me reassure you of the full support of the Office for Outer Space Affairs in assisting you in your endeavour. Thank you for your attention.

ANNEX

HIGHLIGHTS OF SUBSTANTIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE OFFICE

United Nations Programme on Space Applications

Please refer to Appendix I and II to the present document, as well as to documents and reports referenced in the table.

United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER)

Please refer to Appendix I and II to the present document, and to the conference room paper A/AC.105/C.1/2017/CRP.16.

Activities of the Office for Outer Space Affairs in the framework of the workplan of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Please refer to Appendix I and II to the present document, and to document A/AC.105/1136.

Fellowships

Please refer to Appendix I and II to the present document.

Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education, affiliated to the United Nations

Please refer to Appendix I and II to the present document.

Cooperation Agreements

The following agreements have been negotiated and signed between the Office for Outer Space Affairs and various parties since the 59 ^th session of the Committee in June 2016:

-                    Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (11 December 2016);

-                    Funding Agreement between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (11 December 2016);

-                    Cooperation Agreement between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, and GRID-ARENDAL, establishing a Regional Support Office of UN-SPIDER (19 December 2016);

-                    Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the Mexican Space Agency of the United Mexican States (28 September 2016);

-                    Cooperation Agreement between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the Mexican Space Agency of the United Mexican States to facilitate cooperation and host a Regional Support Office for Implementing the Activities of the United Nations Platform for Space-Based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response Programme (28 September 2016);

-                    Funding Agreement between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, and Caneus International to fund a pre-feasibility study of "UNOOSA-coordinated partnership for a constellation of EO/GNSS/telecommunication satellites" (27 September 2016);

-                    Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the European GNSS Agency (15 July 2016);

-                    Framework Agreement for Cooperation between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the Government of El Salvador (14 July 2016);

-                    Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the Sierra Nevada Corporation (21 June 2016).

Exchange of Letters

            In 2016, the Office concluded exchanges of letters for the purpose of conducting its activities with the Governments of China, Costa Rica, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Mexico, Nepal, and the United Arab Emirates.

Communications Activities and Outreach Events

Champion for Space

An important development in UNOOSA's outreach activities was the designation in November of former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly as United Nations Champion for Space. Mr. Kelly will help UNOOSA promote the Office's activities as well as the use of space as a tool for sustainable development. The Champion for Space role is based on the United Nations Messengers of Peace model, whereby distinguished individuals agree to help focus worldwide attention on the work of the United Nations. Mr Kelly's term as Champion for Space will be for an initial period of two years.

Following the announcement of the Champion for Space, the Office conducted a "Twitter takeover" whereby Mr. Kelly tweeted from UNOOSA's Twitter account for a day about the importance of space for sustainable development issues, among other topics. This gained much attention on social media and further built an ongoing audience for the Office's messages.

High Level Forum

The News and Media Division of the United Nations Department of Public Information in New York worked with the Office to cover the Forum, conducting interviews with Director UNOOSA, Office staff, Forum participants and the newly appointed Champion for Space. The News and Media Division, including two staff who joined the Office at the Forum, produced a large number of news, radio and video pieces in 8 languages about the Forum and space for sustainable development, which were promoted on United Nations' social media accounts. This was the first time the Office partnered with the News and Media Division in this way, and it helped to significantly increase outreach efforts around the Forum and its themes.

International Astronautical Congress

            UNOOSA increased its outreach activities at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico, in September. In addition to the promotion of the annual United Nations-International Astronautical Federation workshop that preceded IAC, for the first time UNOOSA also had a booth at the IAC exhibit. The Office received many visitors at the booth who wanted to learn about the Office's work, and UNOOSA staff were on hand to discuss a range of topics. The booth was also the site of two UNOOSA press conferences held at IAC - one with JAXA and the University of Nairobi to discuss the first round of KiboCUBE and announce the second round, and another press conference with Sierra Nevada Corporation to announce further details of their partnership with the Office. It was also a useful venue for media interviews with the Director of the Office.

UNOOSA's awareness raising activities at IAC were very worthwhile, and the Office is currently investigating its attendance at IAC in Adelaide, Australia, in September 2017. The Office is keen to continue outreach activities in such a unique and valuable forum, but financing is a significant concern.

My Planet from Space: Fragility and Beauty

In 2016 UNOOSA collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA) in its production of a book from the joint exhibition at United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2015 entitled "My Planet from Space: Fragility and Beauty". A joint event will be held with ESA during the 54 ^th session of Scientific and Technical Subcommittee where the book will be presented to delegations. The event will also include a panel discussion on the value of space technology in combatting climate change.

Other outreach activities

At IAC the Office debuted a short video produced by DigitalGlobe in cooperation with the Office. The video shows how valuable space is for sustainable development and highlights the Office's partnership with DigitalGlobe for providing satellite imagery as part of disaster response.

The Office is also reaching out to younger audiences about space, and during World Space Week last October launched a children's art competition in cooperation with the Spanish NGO Peace and Cooperation. Children of all ages are invited to submit artwork with the theme of "Looking to the Stars - the Future of the World". The winners will be announced in October 2017. Delegations are encouraged to promote this in their respective countries.

Lastly, the Office's first ever Annual Report was presented to the Committee in June last year. This was an important development in the Office's awareness raising efforts. Work has begun on the 2016 Annual Report and this will be presented to the Committee in June 2017.

Upcoming activities

The coming months will see a number of preparations for upcoming communications and outreach activities, including, but not limited to, planning for IAC in Adelaide, the 50th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty, and International Asteroid Day after it was proclaimed by the General Assembly in resolution 71/90. Preparations for UNISPACE+50 outreach activities will also ramp up, and there will be further involvement from the UN Champion for Space Mr. Scott Kelly in those outreach efforts. Delegations are encouraged to follow those activities on social media.

Update on Staff Movements and Administrative Changes

During the past year the Office had a number of staff movements. Presently there are 2 vacancies in the Space Applications Section (G-4 and 1 P-4 (in Beijing)), The selection process for the G-4 and temporary P-4 in Beijing are well underway.

In 2016 Ms. Daria Brankin of New Zealand was appointed to a P-2 (temporary) position in the Office of the Director. Mr. Kurian Maniyanipurathu of India was appointed to G-5 in the Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section. Mr. Jorge Del Rio Vera of Spain was appointed to the P-3 and Mr. Christopher Sto. Domingo of Philippines to the G-4 positions in the Space Applications Section. Mr. Daniel Garcia Yarnoz of Spain and Mr. Shirish Ravan of India were appointed to temporary P-2 and P-5 positions in the Space Applications Section. Mr. Stefan Kienberger of Austria, Ms. Tang Tong and Ms. Sun Jiayi of China and Ms. Ayami Kojima of Japan joined the Office on non-reimbursable loan basis. Ms. Yukiko Okumura of Japan is expected to join on 13 February as a junior professional officer and Mr. Du Hui of China is expected to join soon on non-reimbursable loan basis.

Update on Resources

Regular Budget Resources overview

  Thousands of United States dollars

*Expenditure level reflects the impact of the decision of the Committee to cancel the activities planned under the Space Applications Programme from July-December 2015.

** Including $197,400 for the 4 activities that were postponed from 2015 to 2016.

***Before re-costing.

Extra-budgetary Resources overview 

Thousands of United States dollars

* Excludes the assessed value of the salaries for 6 staff providing services to the Office under the Non-reimbursable loan framework (Beijing, 2; Bonn, 1; and Vienna, 3) .

Other matters

Further, in relation to the Programme, the Office continues to collaborate with the Panel of Experts established by the UN Security Council resolution 1874 (2009), adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, to gather, examine and analyse information regarding the implementation of the measures imposed on DPRK by Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013) and 2094 (2013).

The Office takes weighted and thorough actions in order to make sure that its activities, as well as those activities performed by entities affiliated to the United Nations in accordance with the mandate by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, are in strict compliance with the Security Council regime outlined above, as well as with views, recommendations and conclusions of the Panel of Experts.

The Office monitors the compliance of its programmes, as well as the compliance of certain activities and programmes carried out by connected entities, such as the Regional Centres and UN-SPIDER regional support offices.