Working Group on the Status and Application of the Five United Nations Treaties on Outer Space

The mandate of the Working Group on the Status and Application of the Five United Nations Treaties on Outer Space

This Working Group was established under the Legal Subcommittee in 2001 to review the status of the treaties, their implementation and obstacles to their universal acceptance, as well as to promote space law, especially through the UN Programme on Space Application (  A/AC.105.763 , para.118). The Working Group has i.a. addressed the application and implementation of the concept of the "launching State," prepared measures to promote universal acceptance of the UN Space Treaties ( A/AC.105/826 Appendix I) and reviewed responses to a set of questions on international space law as well as on the on the application of international law to small-satellite activities.

At the fifty-ninth session of the Committee, in 2016, the Working Group was identified as the mechanism under thematic priority 2, "Legal regime of outer space and global governance: current and future perspectives", (  A/71/20, para. 296 ), which was endorsed by the Committee in preparation for UNISPACE+50.

More recent topics of work are presented below.

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    Topic 1: Exchange of Views on the Implementation of Article XI of the Outer Space Treaty

    The Working Group agreed that at the sixty-third session of the Subcommittee in 2024, it should commence the exchange of views on the implementation of article XI of the Outer Space Treaty, in which States agreed to inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as well as the public and the international scientific community, to the greatest extent feasible and practicable, of the nature, conduct, locations and results of activities in outer space, including on the Moon and other celestial bodies.
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    Topic 2: Recommendations Concerning the Submission of Registration Information on Space Object forming Part of a Satellite Constellation

    The Working Group adopted a set of Recommendations Concerning the Submission of Registration Information on Space Objects Forming Part of a Satellite Constellation in 2023. These recommendations, integral to enhancing the practice of States and international intergovernmental organizations, emphasize the systematic submission of comprehensive registration information for space objects incorporated within satellite constellations.
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    Topic 3: Guidance Document on the Legal Framework for Space Activities

    The Working Group presented in 2022 the document "Bringing the benefits of space to all countries: a guidance document on the legal framework for space activities" to the Legal Subcommittee as its final report under thematic priority 2 for the fiftieth anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE+50), entitled "Legal regime of outer space and global governance: current and future perspectives".
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    Topic 4: Responses to the Set of Questions Provided by the Chair of the Working Group on the Status and Application of the Five United Nation Treaties

    In 2011 the Working Group agreed that States members and permanent observers of the Committee are invited to provide comments and responses to the "Set of questions provided by the Chair of the Working Group on the Status and Application of the Five United Nations Treaties on Outer Space". In 2017, the Working Group reviewed the set of questions, as part of its work under UNISPACE+50 thematic priority 2, entitled "Legal regime of outer space and global space governance: current and future perspectives" and agreed that delegations should be invited to continue  providing  comments and responses to the questionnaire.
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    Topic 5: Responses to the Questionnaire on the Application of International Law on Small-Satellite Activities

    In 2017, the Working Group agreed that States members and permanent observers of the Committee are invited to provide comments and responses to the "Questionnaire on the application of international law to small satellite activities".
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    Topic 6: Status of International Agreements Relating to Activities in Outer Space

    The series of Conference Room Papers provides a consolidated summary of the current ratification status of treaties and agreements relevant to outer space activities, namely: Outer Space Treaty; Rescue Agreement; Liability Convention; Registration Convention; Moon Agreement.
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    Topic 7: Schematic Overview of National Regulatory Frameworks for Space Activities / National Regulatory Overview

    The schematic overview of national regulatory frameworks was developed from 2009 to 2013 through the work of the Working Group on National Legislation Relevant to the Peaceful Exploration and Use of Outer Space, on the basis of national legal instruments, and with information and updates provided by Member States.
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