United Nations A/C.4/72/SR.13 General Assembly Distr.: General Seventy-second session 9 January 2018 Official Records Original: English Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) Summary record of the 13th meeting Held at Headquarters, New York, on Tuesday, 17 October 2017, at 3.30 p.m. Chair: Mr. Ramírez Carreño ...................... (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) Contents Agenda item 52: International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space (continued) This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be sent as soon as possible, under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned, to the Chief of the Documents Management Section ([email protected]), and incorporated in a copy of the record. Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org/). 17-18326 (E) *1718326* A/C.4/72/SR.13 The meeting was called to order at 3.30 p.m. international community to develop their capacities in that area, thus enabling them to tackle their pressing Agenda item 52: International cooperation in the economic and social challenges. peaceful uses of outer space (continued) (A/72/20) 4. Mr. Zaayman (South Africa) said that the benefits 1. Mr. Sukhee (Mongolia) said that having of outer space must be accessible to all countries, not established its first space communication station in 1971 just those with a space programme. Given the central and seen its first astronaut accomplish a space mission role of scientific and technological developments in in 1981, Mongolia had long been committed to outer space in implementing the 2030 Agenda for promoting the development and peaceful uses of space Sustainable Development, South Africa prioritized the science and technology. Mazaalai, the first Mongolian development of space science and technology, with space satellite, had been launched from the International international cooperation as the cornerstone. In that Space Station in July 2017. In addition to broadcasting connection, the implementation of the 2016 African the Mongolian national anthem into space, the satellite Space Policy and Strategy relied on international was measuring air density and investigating cosmic cooperation and the mobilization of domestic resources radiation, and would enable Mongolia to conduct in African countries. His Government looked forward to independent space studies, capture geographic images, working bilaterally and multilaterally to implement that improve mapping and better prevent natural disasters. strategy, which would significantly increase African His Government expected the national satellite States’ participation in space activities. By bridging the programme to contribute to the implementation of the digital divide affecting African countries, space science “Mongolia Sustainable Development Vision 2030” and and technology applications were essential for their other national development projects. Mongolia was sustainable growth, economic development and poverty actively cooperating with space-related organizations in alleviation. the Asia-Pacific region and stood ready to work with 5. Welcoming the progress made by COPUOS in COPUOS in preserving outer space for peaceful developing voluntary, non-binding guidelines to purposes only. promote safe, sustainable and secure outer space 2. Ms. Koliam (Cameroon) said that States should activities, he stressed that such guidelines could only be take advantage of the benefits of space technology, developed through a multilateral approach within the including applications that could assist them in United Nations system, and called on all countries to promoting sustainable development and overcoming participate actively and positively in reaching a final challenges relating to climate change. However, with agreement on them before the mandate of the working the militarization of space and the proliferation of space group expired, coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary debris, that promising outlook was becoming of the United Nations Conference on the Exploration increasingly bleak. The international community should and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE+50) seriously consider ways to ensure the safe and process in 2018. sustainable use of space, and how best to exploit it 6. Participating actively in COPUOS, South Africa peacefully for the benefit of humanity. Strengthening would serve as Chair of its Scientific and Technical international, regional and interregional cooperation; Subcommittee for 2018–2019, and was also involved in ensuring the rule of law, including the development of developing themes for the historic UNISPACE+50 relevant regulations on space; and safeguarding peace in celebrations, a mere six months away. With the outer space were crucial to ensuring that space activities unprecedented pace of technological developments, would continue to benefit all peoples regardless of their countries should be guided by the existing international level of economic or scientific development. In that space treaties and the principle that outer space was a regard, Cameroon welcomed United Nations efforts to global commons to benefit, and be preserved by, all establish an international legal regime incorporating and nations. developing the concepts contained in the Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in 7. Mr. Al Sahhaf (Iraq) said that as outer space had the Exploration and Use of Outer Space. become an environment for advanced scientific, commercial and military activities, the space security 3. COPUOS should continue working to consolidate issue was increasingly important. With the growing and strengthen that international legal regime in order to contribution of space technology and science to ensure the peaceful, just and equitable use of space navigation, meteorological observation and disaster technology. All countries had the right to reap the management, outer space was an essential resource for benefits of outer space activities, and developing all, including non-spacefaring nations. His delegation countries should receive assistance from the 2/10 17-18326 A/C.4/72/SR.13 therefore welcomed the focus on developing legal programme enabling developing Member States to frameworks for the use of outer space, notably through deploy microsatellites from the International Space COPUOS, which was leading the joint efforts to Station’s “Kibo” Japanese Experiment Module. The strengthen international cooperation and transparency in University of Nairobi and the Universidad del Valle de preventing in-space collisions and curtailing harmful Guatemala had been the first institutions to participate. space debris. Moreover, the United Nations outer space It was hoped that other developing countries would treaties established the principles of, and the authority express interest. of the Organization regarding, the common interest of 13. Japan had launched eight spacecraft over the all humanity in outer space, its use for the benefit of all previous year, including a quasi-zenith four-satellite peoples, and preventing the Moon from becoming an navigation system providing improved positioning and area of international conflict. availability through shared global positioning-system 8. International cooperation on peaceful uses of outer signals, that would begin operating in 2018. Also space should develop space science, technology and noteworthy was the 113-day mission completed by a applications and strengthen capacity-building, with Japanese astronaut, the results of whose research on COPUOS as a forum for information exchange on mice in orbit would contribute to treating the symptoms related activities at the national and international levels. of aging. Japan looked forward to hosting the second Thanks to assistance provided through such International Space Exploration Forum and fruitful cooperation, Iraq had been able to launch its first discussions on enhancing international cooperation on satellite for scientific study purposes in 2014, in peaceful space exploration, and reaffirmed the collaboration with Italy, and was now working to importance of the Forum as a mechanism for harness the benefits of the peaceful uses of outer space coordinating global space exploration efforts and its in modern communications and technology, including potential to contribute useful input to the by sending experts to train in developed countries, UNISPACE+50 conference. thereby enhancing its national capabilities, 14. Mr. Alsuwaidi (United Arab Emirates) said that strengthening cooperation and serving humanity as a outer space, as the legacy of humankind, should be whole. preserved and used sustainably, hence the need for 9. Despite having to wage a mortal struggle against States to strengthen security and confidence-building terrorism on the entire world’s behalf, Iraq had begun to measures and to conduct their space activities utilize space applications for peaceful purposes in responsibly and transparently. His country was devoted several areas. Free space data was being used to pinpoint to building a strong, sustainable space sector, acquiring attempts to tamper with crude-oil pipelines, as well as the resources and scientific expertise needed to to determine the locations and trajectories of sulfur and participate in space exploration. oil fires and their resulting smoke clouds. 15. The United Arab Emirates Space Agency had 10. Iraq firmly opposed the militarization of outer launched a national space policy embodying