United Nations COPUOS/T.598 Committee on the Peaceful Unedited transcript Uses of Outer Space th 598 Meeting Wednesday, 3 June 2009, 3 p.m. Vienna Chairman: Mr. Ciro Arévalo-Yepes (Colombia) The meeting was called to order at 3.17 p.m. I would also like to announce that members of the Working Group on Nuclear Power Sources of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee will hold The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from informal consultations that is best possible follow-up Spanish): Good afternoon distinguished delegates. I actions on the adoption by the Subcommittee of the now call to order the 598th meeting of the Committee Safety Framework on the Use of Nuclear Power on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Sources in Outer Space. These consultations will take place in Conference Room VII this afternoon and on 4 Distinguished delegates, ladies and June from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. gentlemen, first of all, I would like to inform delegates that the Commission of the European Community has Finally, as Chairman, I would like to inform asked the Secretariat to participate during this session delegates that once we conclude, and please, through as an observer. I would also like to suggest that, you, inform all of your colleagues, I would ask that this following past practice, we invite those representations evening at 6.00 p.m., I would like to cordially invite all to attend the current session and to address the delegates to attend a Reception in the Mozart Room of Committee when appropriate. This is, of course, the VIC Restaurant, hosted by the Chair. without prejudice to further requests of this nature and does not involve any decisions of the Committee I now give the floor to Niklas Hedman, who is concerning status. This is merely a courtesy that we going to give us some further details on the schedule customarily extend to such delegations. this afternoon. Mr. Hedman has the floor. If there is no objection, we will proceed Mr. N. HEDMAN (Deputy Secretary, Office accordingly. for Outer Space Affairs): Thank you Mr. Chairman. Yes, indeed, this is an announcement by the This afternoon, we are going to continue our Secretariat. Informal consultations, chaired by the agenda item 4, General Exchange of Views. Then delegation of France, on the proposal by France for a from 4.00p.m. to 6.00 p.m., for two hours, we will hold new agenda item of the Scientific and Technical a panel discussion on the tenth anniversary of Subcommittee entitled “Long-Term Sustainability of UNISPACE III. Space Activities” will be held at 4.00 p.m., today, at 1600 hours today, in Room E0951, and that is the I would like to inform delegates that the Office for Outer Space Affairs Meeting Room, Action Team on Near-Earth Objects is meeting in Building ‘E’, Floor 9. It is just at the corridor straight, C0727, with a view to reviewing and developing draft take the elevator up to the ninth floor. Thank you Mr. recommendations for the International Response to the Chairman. Threat of Near-Earth Object Impacts for Consideration by the Working Group on Near-Earth Objects of the General exchange of views (agenda item 4) Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in 2010. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ In its resolution 50/27 of 6 December 1995, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space that, beginning with its thirty-ninth session, the Committee would be provided with unedited transcripts in lieu of verbatim records. This record contains the texts of speeches delivered in English and interpretations of speeches delivered in the other languages as transcribed from taped recordings. The transcripts have not been edited or revised. Corrections should be submitted to original speeches only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and be sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned, within one week of the date of publication, to the Chief, Conference Management Service, Room D0771, United Nations Office at Vienna, P.O. Box 500, A-1400, Vienna, Austria. Corrections will be issued in a consolidated corrigendum. V.09-84644 (E) *0984644* COPUOS/T.598 Page 2 The CHAIRMAN (interpretation from For Colombia, these principles are, along with Spanish): Thank you. Let us now continue then on an approach of shared benefits, the fillers(?) of the agenda item 4, General Exchange of Views. The first peaceful use of outer space for sustainable speaker on my list is Dr. Carlos Rodríguez Bocanegra, development of mankind. The sustainable and Permanent Representative of Colombia, from the equitable use of this fine _______(?) resource is Permanent Mission. You have the floor Dr. fundamental for Colombia and is certainly a task of Bocanegra. States. Colombia believes that preserving this resource by ensuring its sustainability and equitable use can be Mr. C. RODRíGUEZ BOCANEGRA achieved through a more transparent management. The (Colombia) (interpretation from Spanish): Thank you reports of countries on their own activities are one of very much Chair. First of all, please allow me to the tools to achieve this transparency as well as express the honour for me to address this COPUOS building confidence and reliability of data. At the and to say that it is a source of pride for Colombia that same time, we do have capacity-building as established you are chairing this meeting. You have so far been in paragraph 10 of resolution 63/90 of the General doing an excellent job and we are sure that under your Assembly considered by the Scientific and Technical leadership, this Committee will reach its objectives. Subcommittee with respect to the holding of seminars and practical classes of the United Nations Programme Now, since this is the first time that Colombia on Space Technology Applications for Developing takes the floor during this session, please allow me to Countries. express a thought dealing with the future but based on a past event which was very important for this Colombia believes that interregional Committee. cooperation is indispensable. We see it as having the Colombian Space Commission carry out courses for Some 10 years ago, during UNISPACE III, the integral use of satellite navigation, remote sensing, which took place in the same city, the implementation information systems and space data infrastructure in of many of its recommendations changed the whole the fields of natural resource management and situation with regard to space, in our opinion. protection of the environment, and management and Likewise, the many actors in this field of space prevention of catastrophes, amongst others. denoted(?) a new series of categories for space. Also the challenges faced by how humanity have become In this respect, Chairman, we are very pleased more serious over the last two years, and I mention to report on activities such as the seminar that was held these because if we think about the future, as you have dealing with satellite navigation system applications already, Chairman, in your opening statement, to know that took place in Medellin between 23 and 27 June whether the existing norms and rules have not become 2008, as well as the 2009 Space Adventure, which was somewhat obsolescent and whether progress in the one of the largest events of this kind ever held in Latin field of space can now still be ready to meet the America to commemorate the International Year of challenges concerning the rational utilization of the Astronomy and the 400 Years Commemoration of the resource of space, in particular, space debris, risks of Birth of Galileo. Twenty thousand children and orbital saturation, climate change, the food crisis, adolesce participated in this celebration of technology natural disasters and so on and so forth, all of these in Barranquilla, Colombia, in May, with the support of challenges. COPUOS and the Office for Outer Space Affairs, as well as NASA and the Colombian Space Commission. Chairman, distinguished delegates, have these global challenges met an appropriate response in terms Likewise, the International Seminar on Space of the best way to use space to solve mankind’s major Law that was held in Bogotá in April this year under problems or is it time for us to think about a new the auspices of the Sergio Arboleda University, all of paradigm for space? Perhaps we need a UNISPACE which reflects Colombia’s efforts in relation to IV Conference or a bowstring of this Committee training. We also propose the use of Regional Centres turning it into a body with greater profile and visibility for this end in order to train legal experts in space law. with greater organizational and operational capacities. As you mentioned this morning in your Chairman, Colombia is aware of the potential opening remarks, Chairman, distinguished delegates, strengths and weaknesses linked to the peaceful use of all of the events form a part of our Action Plan under outer space as well as our responsibilities in fulfilling the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly the fundamental principles of the use of this resource. 59/2 of October 2004, as well as along the lines of recommendations adopted by UNISPACE III. COPUOS/T.598 Page 3 As for the growing problem of space debris, As regards, Chairman, we emphasize the fact Colombia views with concern this challenge, as we see that we must take into account progress made in it, in the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee’s international legislation. Yet we also believe that it is Report. We believe that both COPUOS, as well as its necessary to update the corpus juris espaciales(?) in a members and private agencies and some satellite holistic way which takes into account the owners, must take the necessary measures for correct developments over the past 50 years.