STATEMENT BY SIMONETTA DI PIPPO
DIRECTOR
UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS
55th Session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee
of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
29 January 2018
Vienna, Austria
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
On behalf of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, I warmly welcome you all to the fifty-fifth 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. Pontsho Maruping, as the Chair of the Subcommittee for the period 2018-2019, and to assure you of our commitment to assist you in running the meetings. Also, I wish to thank Ms. Chiaki Mukai, Chair of the fifty-fourth session of the Subcommittee, for her able leadership and constructive cooperation.
I likewise join you, Madam Chair, in welcoming Bahrain, Denmark and Norway as new State members, and the European Science Foundation (ESF), represented by the European Space Sciences Committee, and UNISEC-Global as new permanent observers of the Committee.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
We are ahead of one of the busiest and challenging sessions cycle of the Committee and its Subcommittees, as we are approaching UNISPACE+50 in June 2018. I will address the UNISPACE+50 preparations in detail in my separate statement to the Working Group of the Whole.
I am pleased to inform you that I have held several successful meetings at the United Nations headquarters in New York, including with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, since UNISPACE+50 also coincides with the Secretary-General's system-wide efforts to engage with Member States to strengthen the work of the United Nations, overcome silos and deliver as one. Space is also a vital part of the so-called "new frontier" issues that the Secretary-General is bringing forward in these priorities. With the support of the Permanent Missions of Austria and Zambia, co-chairs of the New York recently established Group of Friends of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, earlier this month, on 17 January this 2018 I briefed the New York resident permanent missions on the mandates of the Office and on our work towards UNISPACE+50. A similar briefing has been held a week ago, on 22nd January, here in Vienna.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
It is in connection with the complex plans, activities and initiatives aimed at the development of UNISPACE+50 that the Office is continuing to undertake 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 accommodating the important developments in the Office's capacity-building programme of work, including its Space Applications Programme. From a strategic perspective, the Office strives to continue developing innovative approaches to its capacity-building activities from the strategic viewpoint employed by the Administrative and Budgetary Committee of the General Assembly (Fifth Committee) - within the framework of the Programme on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Therefore, the Office delivers much more capacity-building with specific attention to developing countries in a number of important areas, for example, disaster risk reduction, space law and policy, registration practices, and in support of access to space. We are witnessing the emergence of many cross-cutting and topical issues, which require the broader involvement of experts, hereby enabling the delivery of our capacity-building efforts at the highest standards. It is exactly from this angle UNOOSA has hereby broadened its capacity-building function to better service Member States.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
With regard to its responsibilities in discharging the Secretary-General's obligations under international space law, in particular in relation to the United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space, the Office is pleased to note that in 2017, 489 functional space objects and 64 non-functional space objects were registered with the Secretary-General by Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mongolia, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and ESA. Presently, 91% of all functional space objects launched since 1957 have been registered in accordance with the Registration Convention and General Assembly resolution 1721B (XVI). In addition to space object registration, three States Parties to the Registration Convention have informed the Secretary-General of the establishment of their national registries. Furthermore, it is a great pleasure for me to inform you that last week, on 23 January 2018, New Zealand has acceded to the Registration Convention.
As delegates are aware, 2017 was a historic year for space activity with over 450 functional space objects being launched or deployed in Earth orbit or beyond. This is nearly double the number launched in 2016. The Office recognizes that this substantial increase in launched space objects can impact existing national registration mechanisms and believes that it is possible to make the mechanism used by States of registry to provide information to the Secretary-General more efficient. The Office has outlined some efficiency measures on the basis of the current existing mandates in the report on UNISPACE+50 thematic priority 3 in document A/AC.105/1160 as a background to issues of concern under that thematic priority.
The Office believes that given the increasing satellite population in low Earth orbit, the intent behind space object registration as stated in the Preamble of the Convention, i.e. "Believing that a mandatory system of registering objects launched into outer space would, in particular, assist in their identification and would contribute to the application and development of international law governing the exploration and use of outer space," is now even more relevant today. The Office therefore 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 the area of strengthening international cooperation in planetary defence, the Office for Outer Space Affairs supports the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) as its secretariat, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 71/90. The European Space Agency kindly agreed to support our role as the secretariat to SMPAG, which will allow us to carry out the responsibilities and facilitate cooperation and communication in the area of planetary defence. The European Space Agency is a member and current Chair of the SMPAG, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to ESA for the support in this regard.
I would also wish to inform you that the Office continues to work with the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN), which, together with SMPAG, are entities resulting from the recommendations of UNISPACE III, and represent an important pillar in global collaboration efforts in the important domain of preparing for an internationally coordinated response to the threats to Earth originated by Near Earth Objects (NEOs). In that regard, I wish to inform you that I have received a letter from the SMPAG chair on recommendations to be included for further work in the draft General Assembly resolution to be recommended at UNISPACE+50, including on working with UNOOSA and its UN-SPIDER programme as part of their technical advisory missions on disaster preparedness and emergency response and as part of UNOOSA capacity-building activities to strengthen preparedness and awareness among Member States, particularly those without capabilities in this area.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
The Office for Outer Space Affairs, as the executive secretariat of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) and its Providers' Forum, promotes the use of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) capabilities through its capacity-building initiatives and information dissemination, particularly in developing countries. The Office continues to organize seminars, training courses and workshops on various aspects of GNSS technology and applications for economic and social development. The Government of Japan hosted the twelfth ICG meeting and the nineteenth Providers' Forum meeting from 2 to 7 December 2017 in Kyoto. The 13 th ICG meeting will take place in Beijing on 4-9 November 2018.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
The 37th session of the United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities (UN-Space) was organized by the Office on 24 August 2017 in Geneva in coordination with the World Health Organization. The Office has led the preparation of the Special Report of the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities on Space Weather (A/AC.105/1146). The report is instrumental in assisting our Committee in its preparations for UNISPACE+50 under the thematic priority 4 by providing an overview of efforts by United Nations entities in the area of space weather.
A joint half-day panel discussion of the First Committee and Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on possible challenges to space security and sustainability, as mandated by GA resolution 71/90, was held on 12 October 2017 in New York. The panel was co-organized by the Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Office for Disarmament Affairs. The programme, summary of the debate and presentations are available on the UNOOSA website [1].
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
Member States have consistently renewed and reaffirmed the mandate on gender equality and women's empowerment in intergovernmental agreements. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has provided additional momentum and clear targets. One of the many responses from the United Nations to international commitments has been the adoption of the UN System Wide Policy on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The Office is eager to start the development of the "Space for Women" project as endorsed during the United Nations Expert Meeting on Space for Women in 2017. The final recommendations highlighted the importance of the establishment of a coordination model under the Office's leadership and already drafted a structure based on three guidelines for the project' development. Additionally, through my role as gender champion I am committed to further promote this important topic and to progress on gender empowerment and gender equality, not only within the UN, but more in general in the space sector.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
As you are no doubt aware, our regular budget allocation has been diminished consistently in the past few years as a result of the decisions of the GA on the overall budget of the United Nations. Consequently, the Office has been relying on voluntary cash and in-kind contributions to continue fully delivering on its mandate. In this respect, it is with great pleasure and gratitude that I acknowledge and sincerely thank Austria, China, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, the United States as well as the European Commission, the European Space Agency and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) for their voluntary cash contributions during the past year. We also remain indebted to in-kind contributions regularly received from key players among the Committee's member States and 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. We are also witnessing increasing interest from industry and the private sector in contributing in various way in support of the Office's activities.
Following our call for additional staffing support, we are deeply grateful to those Member States that responded positively to that call. To date we are fortunate to report that in addition to the staff provided by Austria (FFG and University of Salzburg), China (CNSA) and Japan (JAXA), 1 more staff, on a non-reimbursable loan (NRL) basis, provided by Turkey (TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute), joined the Office in Vienna to implement our programmes. In addition, China (CNSA and NRDCC) and Germany (DLR) continued to provide staffing support, also on a non-reimbursable loan basis, to the UN-SPIDER activities of the Beijing and Bonn Offices. In addition, Germany and Japan have continued to support the Office through the provision, under the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme, of 2 staff members, 1 in Bonn and 1 in Vienna. The Office is further pleased to report that it 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. This increasing interest is a clear sign of the support and trust of Member States and relevant stakeholders in the Office and its activities.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
At its sixtieth session, held in Vienna in June 2017, the Committee endorsed that UNOOSA should pursue greater engagement with industry and private sector entities so that they supported and contributed to the overall work of the Office and, for example, the Access to Space initiative of UNOOSA. As one of the important measures in this regard, UNOOSA has launched a new web page dedicated to the partnerships with industry and the private sector (http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/informationfor/industryandprivatesector/index.html). Further, UNOOSA has developed a strategic document, which is based on United Nations documents, frameworks and practices, and is aimed at establishing a vision and guidance for the partnerships of UNOOSA. The document is entitled "Strategy and Policy on Partnerships with Industry and the Private Sector and Guidelines for Implementation", and is available from the above-referenced web page.
As the next step in building its policy and legal environment for the partnerships, UNOOSA is going to develop its "UNOOSA Partnerships Assessment Manual and Tool for Industry and the Private Sector", which will also be made available at its dedicated web page. UNOOSA will update the web page with all the relevant information and practices in this respect, as we proceed. UNOOSA welcomes interested representatives of industry and the private sector to explore the web page, and to submit their views and/or proposals via a contact link established therein.
Of importance for building partnerships is also the High Level Forum: Space as a Driver for Socioeconomic Sustainable Development. Following a series of high level forums held in preparation for UNISPACE+50, it was recommended that this High Level Forum (HLF) continue to be convened annually from 2018 onwards. The next High Level Forum is planned to take place on 13-16 November 2018, organized by UNOOSA and the Government of Germany in Bonn, Germany, at the UN Bonn Campus.
Looking beyond 2018 and building on the observations and recommendations of the High Level Forum held in Dubai from 6 to 9 November 2017, that the Office should work with Member States that express interest in hosting the Forum, I wish to inform you that UNOOSA is currently in discussions with our host, the government of Austria, to consider the possibility to organize the High Level Forum every second year, here in Austria. Assuming then that the 2019 HLF will be hosted in Vienna, we would like to invite member States to propose their candidacy for the HLF to be held in 2020 at their earliest convenience.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates,
The importance of building stronger partnerships that would enable the space community to increase recognition of the benefits of space technologies for sustainable development and to more effectively support countries in both the implementation and monitoring processes of the Sustainable Development Goals was noted also by the Committee last year. Accordingly, the Office proposed, in 2017, the "Global Space Partnership for the Sustainable Development Goals", a comprehensive coordination mechanism that will provide a unique opportunity for the space community to address the global sustainable development challenges through optimal utilization of a broader range of space-based data and infrastructure. The Partnership will serve to facilitate the optimal service delivery of existing space assets and to foster partnerships for developing innovative systems and solutions that will support countries in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. In order to increase the understanding of this comprehensive partnership and build further consensus on its objectives, the Office is organizing a side meeting at the margins of this session. I would like to invite all delegations to this side meeting entitled the "Global Space Partnership for the Sustainable Development Goals: Vision and the Way Ahead" that will be held on the 5th of February between 13:00-14:00 hours, in the plenary meeting room (Board Room D).
With a view of integrating different space technologies and applications for the benefit of the UN Member States, the Office signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GSA, and we have just released a joint study entitled: "European Global Navigation Satellite System and Copernicus: supporting the Sustainable Development Goals". This is also a contribution to the Global Partnership for the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming at more resilient societies, which will constitute, as mentioned, one of the expected main outcomes of the Summit in June.
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
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 document A/AC.105/1157.
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 documents A/AC.105/1158 and A/AC.105/1159.
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 in 2017:
Exchange of Letters
In 2017, for conducting its activities outside of the established headquarters of the United Nations, the Office concluded host country agreements through the exchange of letters with the Governments of Austria, China, Germany, Pakistan, Russian Federation, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Currently, the Office is working with the Governments of Argentina, Brazil and Germany on the conclusion of the legal instruments for the events that are planned to be held in these States.
Communications Activities and Outreach Events
High Level Forum
After a successful initiative at the High Level Forum in 2016, the Office again partnered with the News and Media Division (NMD) of the United Nations Department of Public Information in New York to cover the Forum in 2017. A large number of news, radio and video pieces in 8 languages about the Forum and space for sustainable development were produced, which were promoted on United Nations' social media accounts. This helped to significantly increase outreach efforts around the Forum and its themes. The Office's positive relationship with NMD continued outside the Forum throughout the year as NMD supported UNOOSA on other initiatives.
International Astronautical Congress
UNOOSA continued its outreach activities at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide, Australia, in September. UNOOSA again had a booth at the IAC exhibition, which received many visitors who wanted to learn about the Office's work and talk with UNOOSA staff. The booth was also the site of two UNOOSA press conferences held at IAC - one with JAXA and the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala to provide a briefing on the second round of KiboCUBE and announce the third round, and another press conference with Sierra Nevada Corporation to announce the opening of a Call for Interest for the proposed orbital space mission. The booth 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 planning its attendance at the IAC in Bremen, Germany, in October 2018.
Public outreach activities were also undertaken in New Zealand prior to the IAC, and in Canberra after the IAC.
50 th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty
The Office celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty with:
International Asteroid Day
The first United Nations-recognized International Asteroid Day took place on 30 June 2017. The Office commemorated this day with a social media campaign and a video message by the Director. The Director was also interviewed by Discovery Channel for a documentary on International Asteroid Day.
Champion for Space
The Office has continued to work with United Nations Champion for Space Scott Kelly on awareness raising activities. Due to financial constraints, many of these initiatives have been social media based. On 12 April 2017, for International Day of Human Space Flight, Mr Kelly participated in an interview with UNOOSA via social media, which had strong engagement levels from the public and resulted in a surge in UNOOSA followers. The Office capitalized on some of the questions and answers from this event and worked with the Electronic Publishing Unit of UNOV to make three different postcards featuring Mr Kelly and his quotes from this event. These have been used as outreach resources, for example as handouts at the UNOOSA booth at IAC.
In his role as Champion for Space, Mr Kelly also recorded video messages for the United Nations Environment Assembly, the United Nations Environment Programme's Young Champions of the Earth, and the US Permanent Mission in Vienna's screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Mr Kelly also featured in a short video along with the UNOOSA Director for International Day of Human Space Flight, as well as a quiz video on the Outer Space Treaty that the Office disseminated for the 50th anniversary of the Treaty.
Mr Kelly was also a keynote speaker at the Space for Women Expert Meeting in New York on 6 October, and joined the UNOOSA Director in an outreach question and answer session with youth representatives to the United Nations that same day.
Side events at Scientific and Technical Subcommittee 2017
The Office organised two outreach side events during the fifty-fourth session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in January 2017:
- a panel discussion with the European Space Agency on space and climate change, which also served as a launch event for the catalogue of the "My Planet from Space" exhibition
- a panel discussion on Space for Women ahead of International Day for Women and Girls in Science (11 February), which was filmed and made available on the Office's YouTube channel.
Both these events were live streamed on the Office's website to enable remote viewing.
Paz y Cooperación
In order to reach out to younger audiences about space, in 2016 the Office partnered with Spanish NGO Paz y Cooperación on a children's art competition entitled "Looking to the Stars - the Future of the World". An awards ceremony for this competition was hosted by the Office at the Vienna International Centre on 20 October, and was attended by a number of Permanent Representatives and other diplomatic representatives, as well as fifty students, parents and teachers from five countries. The Office is continuing to partner with Paz y Cooperación for its 2018 art competition on "Space, common heritage of humanity". Delegations are encouraged to promote this in their respective countries.
UNISPACE+50
The Office has begun preparing communications initiatives related to UNISPACE+50, including developing branded digital and printed products with the Graphics Design Unit in New York, and a series of celebratory stamps with the United Nations Postal Administration.
To celebrate UNISPACE+50, an exhibition will open at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) from 18 to 23 June 2018. The ceremonial event and opening of the UNISPACE+50 exhibition will take place on 20 June 2018. The exhibition is aimed at promoting the work of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and its programmes and activities, and to provide an opportunity for other exhibitors (UN Member States and non-governmental sector alike) to present their efforts in the space domain. The exhibition will consist of a main exhibition area of 1320m 2 in the Rotunda of the Vienna International Centre, with 43 booths reflecting the achievements and the work of UNOOSA, Member States, partners and donors. More information on the background, the application process and additional information can be found on the UNOOSA website. Additional information will be provided through a dedicated CRP and during an exhibit information meeting on 7 February 2018 from 1 - 3pm in room C5.
Other outreach activities
In May 2017, the Office released its 2016 Annual Report, the second time it has provided such reporting for awareness raising and transparency. Two pamphlets were also developed by the Office and used at IAC for the first time: one on the activities of the Office, and one on the benefits of space for the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Office undertook social media campaigns around specific dates and celebrations, such as World Science Day for Peace and Development (10 November), which resulted in significant social media engagement. The Office also provided logistical and liaison support to the Roscosmos exhibition on Sputnik-1 in the Rotunda during COPUOS, and the Director spoke at a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik-1 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, alongside the United Nations Secretary-General and the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations.
Upcoming activities
The coming months will be primarily focused on preparations for UNISPACE+50 communications and outreach activities, as well as post-UNISPACE+50 events such as the IAC 2018. Delegations are encouraged to follow and promote our outreach activities on social media.
During the past year, the Office had a number of staff movements The Office welcomed Mr. Markus Woltran of Austria at the P-3 position in the Office of the Director. In the Space Applications Section, Mr. Patrick Gindler of Austria and Mr. Aimin Niu of China were appointed to G-4 and P-4 positions, respectively. Ms. Nina Kickinger of Austria was appointed to a P-2 (50%) to support the Space and Water Portal Project (joint project with the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)). Mr. Medeni Soysal of Turkey joined the Office as an Expert on a Non-Reimbursable Loan (NRL Expert) basis.
Mr. Werner Balogh of Austria departed from the Office on 31 December 2017 to take on a new assignment at the World Meteorological Organization. Mr. Takanori Miyoshi of Japan returned to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mr. Joachim Post of Germany returned to the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Mr. Stefan Kienberger of Austria returned to the University of Salzburg, after serving one year in the Office.
Regular Budget Resources overview
(Thousands of United States dollars)
|
2010-2011 Expenditure |
2012-2013 Expenditure |
2014-2015 Expenditure |
2016-2017 (Final revised appropriation) |
2018-2019 (Appropriation) |
|
8,592.0 |
8,305.5 |
7,774.3 |
7,561.8 |
7,616.2 |
Extra-budgetary Resources overview
(Thousands of United States dollars)
|
2017 |
Donors |
|
|
Cash contributions (excl. prior period adjustments) |
1,170.0 |
Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG); Boston College and the Institute for Scientific Research (ISR), United States of America; China Manned Space Agency (CMSA); China National Space Administration (CNSA); Delta State University, United States of America; Department of Science and Technology, Government of the Republic of South Africa; Digital Globe; Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; European Commission (EC); European Space Agency (ESA); German Aerospace Center (DLR); German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi); Government of China; Government of Colombia (Agustin Codazzi National Geographic Institute); Government of Germany; Government of Japan; Government of Switzerland; Government of the United Arab Emirates; Government of the United States of America; Indian Institute of Remote Sensing - CSSTEAP; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Austria; Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech), Japan; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce, United States of America; National Disaster Reduction Centre of China (NDRCC); People's Insurance Company of China (PICC); Politecnico di Torino, Instituto Superiore Mario Boella (ISMB) and Instituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, Italy; Prince Sultan Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW), King Saud University, Saudi Arabia; Samara University, Russian Federation; Stellenbosch University, South Africa; TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute, Turkey; UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA); Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, United Arab Emirates; University of Bonn, Germany; University of Geneva, Switzerland; University of Vienna, NPOC Space Law and University of Salzburg, Austria; World Health Organization and World Vision. |
|
In-kind Contributions |
514.0 |