Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

Sustainable Development Goal 10 aims at reducing inequality within and among countries. This SDG calls for reducing inequalities in income as well as those based on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status within a country. The goal also addresses inequalities among countries, including those related to representation, migration and development assistance.

The international community has made significant strides towards lifting people out of poverty. The most vulnerable nations - the least developed countries, the landlocked developing countries and the Small Island developing States - continue to make inroads into poverty reduction. However, inequality still persists and large disparities remain in access to health and education services and other assets.

Space technologies can contribute in various ways, for example through:

  • Connectivity in remote and isolated areas
  • Remote participation in democratic processes
  • Reliable access to information
  • Connectivity in remote and isolated areas
  • Remote participation in democratic processes
  • Reliable access to information

Quick Facts

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  • Space economy, the full range of activities and the use of resources that create value and benefits to human beings in the course of exploring, researching, understanding, managing, and utilizing space, is booming. According to estimates in 2017, the global space economy totalled $383.5 billion worldwide and employed well over 900,000 people, and is set to generate revenues of $1.1 trillion or more by 2040 according to some estimates. Some developing countries already have a large space sector, allowing them to tap into this growth.

  • Through space education and capacity development on space exploration and technology, more developing countries can take part in this booming sector and leverage its potential for inclusive economic growth.

  • As competition in the sector increases, the price of launches and other space-related technology is falling. The fall in costs and other barriers to space particularly benefits developing states and allows new countries to become spacefaring nations

  • By offering opportunities for productive employment regardless of gender, the space sector can reduce inequality in pay between men and women and promote the economic and social inclusion of women.

  • Through membership in the United Nations, specifically the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), all countries have representation and an equal voice in influencing global decision-making in outer space.

  • While remote and rural communities have traditionally struggled with access to education, space-based technologies, such as satellite communications technologies, are helping to rectify this inequality. Videoconferencing and voice over Internet protocol allow educators and students to create virtual classrooms, regardless of physical locations.

Access to Space for All

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Focusing on youth, UNOOSA supports the younger generations to gain knowledge and practical skills, offering them a chance to conduct experiments in microgravity, such as the Zero-Gravity Instrument Project (ZGIP) and the Drop Tower Experiment Series (DropTES), and in hypergravity, as well as enhancing their future prospects and spark their interest in STEM fields. To date, over 20000 individuals have benefitted from training activities offered by the Programme on Space Applications, the main implementation tool of Access to Space for All.

Access to Space for All is helping developing countries to become space emerging nations and enter the space family through the facilitation of satellite deployments. Following the example of Kenya which deployed its first satellite with the support of the Office, Mauritius was also selected to venture into satellite development through KiboCUBE. The first Mauritian satellite, the MIR-SAT1, will enhance access to space application tools for sustainable development in Mauritius through building capacity in basic satellite technology and creation of a collaborative network with renowned international space related agencies. Moreover, Mauritius, apart from joining the group of space-faring nations, it has also become a member of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), a membership that offers an opportunity to further expand its capabilities in the microgravity and space-related education, technology innovation and science research and application sectors as well as make an important contribution to the international cooperation and socio-economic development and to the 3G diversity (gender, geographical and generation).

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