United NationsOffice for Outer Space Affairs

Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC)

Materials presented during Informal Consultations

Intersessional Meeting 18 November 2024 - Provisional Agenda

Responses of States members of the Committee to the invitation by the Secretariat (OOSA 2024/48 CU 2024/244) to provide contributions on the bureau and workplan of the Action Team for endorsement by the Committee at its sixty eighth session, in 2025 ( A/79/20, para. 351)

Mandate, terms of reference, and workplan and methods of work of the Action Team

Found in the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses Outer Space at its sixty-seventh session in 2024 ( A/79/20 , Annex IV )

Mandate, terms of reference, and workplan and methods of work of the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation

A. Mandate

1. The Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation is to have focused, expert-level exchanges to develop recommendations aimed at improving consultations related to lunar activities, considering different options, including, for instance, whether to recommend the establishment of an international mechanism. The Action Team will aim to produce a final report containing recommendations for consideration by the Committee on the Peaceful uses of Outer Space at its seventieth session, in 2027, or at its seventy-first session, in 2028, as appropriate. Based on the progress of its work, the Action Team may present diverse proposals for consideration by the Committee, beginning from its sixty-ninth session, in 2026. Following the endorsement of the Action Team's report, the Committee will decide on the follow-up work to be carried out.

2. The Action Team may complement its proposals with priority topics relevant to its mandate that could subsequently be addressed under its proposed international mechanism. The Action Team will limit discussions on any substantive topics to what is necessary for the achievement of its mandate.

3. The work of the Action Team is to be without prejudice to the consultations stipulated in article IX of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Outer Space Treaty) and to relevant ongoing efforts within the framework of the Committee and its subcommittees, in particular the work of the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities and the Working Group on the Status and Application of the Five United Nations Treaties on Outer Space, to promote informal collaboration and mutual exchange of information.

B. Terms of reference

4. Participation in the work of the Action Team is to be open to all States members of the Committee. Upon the establishment of the Action Team, the Office for Outer Space Affairs will invite States members interested in participating to appoint a maximum of four representatives, preferably with diverse backgrounds and expertise, without prejudice to the possibility of replacing them and appointing experts on an ad hoc basis to participate in specific meetings.

5. Organizations with permanent observer status with the Committee conducting work related to the mandate of the Action Team may be invited by the Action Team to participate in its meetings, either on a regular or an ad hoc basis. Organizations with permanent observer status that are invited to participate will be limited to having one representative. The Action Team may also, as necessary, invite recognized technical, policy and legal experts, and any other entity whose support is deemed useful for its work, to participate.

6. In order to avail itself of expert input and take into account diverse views, the Action Team may invite organizations with permanent observer status with the Committee, as well as industry, academic and civil society actors and recognized technical, policy and legal experts to submit written contributions on topics relevant to its mandate. These submissions should be a maximum of five pages in length.

7. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities and the Chair of the Working Group on the Status and Application of the Five United Nations Treaties will be kept informed of the work of the Action Team and consulted periodically to facilitate informal collaboration.

C. Methods of work

8. The Action Team is to be established under the framework of the Committee. It will work on the basis of consensus of States members of the Committee and report on the progress of its work at the sessions of the Committee and its subcommittees, under the agenda item "Future role and method of work of the Committee".

9. The Action Team will meet to advance its work both on the margins of the sessions of the Committee and its subcommittees and during the intersessional period. Meetings of the Action Team will be held in an online format when within existing resources and in a hybrid format, including with interpretation services, as appropriate, when supported by extrabudgetary contributions, in order to allow for inclusive participation and maximize the use of the time available.

10. The Office for Outer Space Affairs will facilitate the work of the Action Team, including by providing substantive secretariat services and by convening and facilitating meetings and informal exchanges when supported by extrabudgetary contributions and at no cost to the regular budget of the Office for Outer Space Affairs. States members and non-governmental organizations, including in the private sector, may contribute financial and in-kind support in furtherance of the work of the Action Team.

11. Upon the establishment of the Action Team, and at the proposal of States members, the Committee will approve the Chair and Vice-Chair(s) of the Action Team. Thereafter, the Office for Outer Space Affairs will appoint a rapporteur and a secretary to support the work of the Action Team. The Action Team will then proceed to develop and approve its multi-year workplan and present it for endorsement by the Committee at its sixty-eighth session, in 2025.