Secure World Foundation: Active Role in United Nations Deliberations on Peaceful Uses of Space

Newswise — The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) has ended its deliberations during its 52nd session which was held from June 3 to June 12 in Vienna, Austria.

This UN Committee is the primary international venue for debate and action on space governance.

As a Non-Governmental Organization, Secure World Foundation (SWF) has attained active Permanent Observer status within the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Secure World Foundation's Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) standing permits the organization to further its objectives dedicated to maintaining the secure and sustainable use of space for the benefit of Earth and all its peoples.

"The COPUOS meeting helped Secure World Foundation to firm up its agenda for 2010 relating to Near Earth Objects, human security and space security. All of these items are high on the agenda of COPUOS," said Dr. Ray Williamson, SWF's Executive Director.

Near Earth Objects " or NEOs " are asteroids or comets that have the potential to threaten Earth. Collisions with NEOs have occurred in the past and we should remain alert to the possibility of future close Earth approaches.

"SWF can especially contribute to the work of the COPUOS Action Team-14, which is concerned with crafting an appropriate institutional response to a potentially hazardous Near Earth Object," Williamson said.

Climate and Space-based Observations

Williamson underscored the work carried out by the COPUOS participants during the nine-day gathering of world leaders.

In particular, the Committee agreed that due to the global nature of climate change, space-based observations, complemented with ground-based observations, were well-suited to monitor the different signs of climate change and factors which are contributing to those manifestations. Space-based observations could be also used in support of mitigation and adaptation measures linked to climate change.

During the meeting, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs signed cooperation agreements to establish the Regional Support Offices of the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) with Iran, Nigeria, Romania, and the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre. The Regional Support Offices will serve as centers of expertise in the use of space technology in disaster management.

The Committee also took action on a Safety Framework for Nuclear Power Sources Applications in Outer Space.

Highlights of the 52nd session of the Committee included an address by Susan Helms, former U.S. astronaut and now Brigadier-General of the United States Strategic Command. In Helms' statement to the Committee she noted how international cooperation between space-faring nations could lead to improved space situational awareness and shared insights on last February's collision between a commercial Iridium spacecraft and a Russian Cosmos satellite.

Permanent Observer Status

"Thanks to our Permanent Observer Status with the UN COPUOS we can actively participate in discussions, meetings, and works of the Committee and its subcommittees," explained consultant Agnieszka Lukaszczyk in SWF's Vienna operations.

Lukaszczyk noted that SWF made a statement during the General Exchange of Views during COPUOS. Also, as a member of Action Team 14 on Near Earth Objects, SWF actively contributed to discussions on this issue. Additionally, SWF organized the first ever working lunch for UN COPUOS Permanent Observers, to discuss roles and duties within the Committee.

Secure World Foundation is headquartered in Superior, Colorado, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Vienna, Austria.

The Secure World Foundation is a fully-funded, private operating foundation dedicated to the secure and sustainable use of space for the benefit of Earth and all its peoples.

The Foundation engages with academics, policy makers, scientists and advocates in the space and international affairs communities to support steps that help achieve the secure, sustainable and peaceful uses of outer space with efficient and effective global systems of governance.