United Nations Office Vienna

United Nations andOuter Space
Programme on Space Applications
Werner Balogh and Lorant Czaran
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
Vienna, Austria

Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
27 October 2015

Presentation Overview
I.

United Nations and Outer Space

II. Space Activities
III. Programme on Space Applications
IV. ICG
V. UN-SPIDER
VI. UN-SPACE
VII. Outlook & Conclusions
Note: United Nations documents quoted in this paper are available from the website of the Office for Outer
Space Affairs at www.unoosa.org and from the Official Document System of the United Nations atdocuments.un.org.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect theposition of the United Nations and its Office for Outer Space Affairs.
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I. United Nations
and Outer Space

Beginning of the Space Age The Space Age began with thelaunch of Sputnik I satellite on
4 October 1957
 It raised several questions– How to prevent the extension ofthe cold war arms race into outerspace?
– Who should define rules andregulations for activities in outerspace?
– How to ensure that space
activities benefit all humankind?

 Fortunately the main actors atthat time reached a quick
agreement that thesequestions should be addressedby the United Nations
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Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

1958 UN General Assembly resolution 1348(XIII)– Outer space to be used for peaceful purposes
only and to be exploited to the benefit of mankind– Established an ad-hoc Committee on thePeaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) as an
appropriate body for international cooperation



1959: UN General Assembly resolution 1472 (XIV)
reaffirmed the role of COPUOS and mandated theCommittee to:– Review international co-operation– Study space-related activities that could beundertaken under United Nations auspices– Encourage and assist with national spaceresearch programmes– Study legal problems which may arise from theexploration of outer space

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Office for Outer Space Affairs
 Originated as a small expert unit in
the UN Secretariat to service theAd Hoc COPUOS meeting Eventually transformed into theUnited Nations Office for Outer
Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
 Relocated from New York to the UN
Office at Vienna (UNOV) in 1993
 25 staff members (scientists,lawyers, political scientists), plus
several seconded staff and interns
 Offices in Bonn, Germany andBeijing, China (UN-SPIDER
Programme)
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Office for Outer Space Affairs
Office of the Director(Ms. Simonetta Di Pippo)

Register on Space Objects
Public Outreach
YouthCommittee, Policy and Legal
Affairs Section

Space Applications
Section(Mr. Niklas Hedman)(Mr. Takao Doi)

Programme onSpace
Applications

UN-SPIDERBeijing

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ICGBonn7

II. Space Activities

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Examples of Space Activities

GlobalCommunications

Satellite TV

Positioning andNavigation

Weather Forecasts

Environmental
Observation

TechnologyDevelopment

ScienceResearchExploration

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9Importance of Space Activities
 Space activities are important in many ways:
1. Utilitarian Importance•••

Applications
ScienceExploration

2. Strategic Importance - Dual Use
3. Economic Importance
4. Political Importance
5. Existential Importance Today’s society is in many ways dependent onspace activities!
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Space Applications - Role and Potential
 Clean environment, water availability & food security are
essential for human health– Agriculture & food security: predicting crop yield, land cover & use, soil
moisture & type …
– Assessing extent of desertification, droughts and floods– Monitoring of water quality and assessment of wastewater salinity– Air composition and quality tracking, greenhouse gases monitoring– Ocean observations: sea level, surface winds, sea ice extent, ocean
colour, etc.
– Climate change monitoring– Mapping public health situation and environmental influences– Tele-medicine for remote and rural areas Addressing issues caused by increasing world populationand energy demand– Optimising and directing the developments of cities– Minimising the damage of urban growth– Possible new energy sources & estimation of the volume of biomass– Coastal mapping and monitoring
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112030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
 The UN Sustainable Development Summit held 25-27September 2015 adopted the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs): (see https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org)– People: end poverty and hunger and ensure that all human beings canfulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment.
– Planet: protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainableconsumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources
and taking urgent action on climate change.
– Prosperity: all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives andthat economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony withnature.
– Peace: foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies which are free fromfear and violence.
– Partnership: mobilize the means required to implement this Agenda.
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2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

17 Goals, 169 Targets
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Space & Sustainable Development Goals

green – direct, black – indirect space contributions
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Role of UNOOSA Act as a catalyser of global efforts on the use of spacebased information, including in monitoring and evaluation
frameworks
 Develop synergies between the space community andthe communities that work for a sustainable development,
adapt to/mitigate climate change impacts and seek toreduce disaster risk
 Increase the visibility of the benefits of space-based
data, tools and services in the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development
 UNOOSA is implementing this through– Programme on Space Applications, ICG, UN-Spider– UN-Space27 October 2015

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15III. Programme on SpaceApplications

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United Nations Programme on Space Applications
 Established in response torecommendations of the first
UNISPACE conference in1968
 Creation of the position of theUnited Nations Expert on
Space Applications topromote space applications
 Operational from 1971 andimplemented by OOSA UNISPACE conferences heldin 1982 and 1999 updated themandate of the Programme
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Mandate of the Programme

PromoteInternational
Cooperation

SupportCapacity Building

DisseminateInformation

Conduct TechnicalAdvisory Services

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 37/90 (§7), http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/mandate.html
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Implementation of the Programme
Conferences and Workshops
on thematic priorities:• Biodiversity/Ecosystems• Climate Change• Disaster Management• Environmental Monitoring and Natural Resource
Management• Global Health• Global Navigation Satellite Systems• Satellite Communications

Basic Space Science Initiative(BSSI)
Basic Space Technology
Initiative (BSTI)
Human Space Technology
Initiative (HSTI)

Support the Regional Centres
for Space Science andTechnology Education,affiliated to the United Nations

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Administrate Long-Term
Fellowship Programmes

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19Programme Activities 1971-2014

 305 Expert Meetings/Seminars/Workshops/Conferences
 75 countries, more than 21000 participants Topics covered: COSPAS/SARSAT, Environmental Monitoring, Global Navigation
Satellite Systems, Mountain Regions, Natural Resources Management, Socio-Economic
Benefit, Space Law, Space Science and Technology, Tele-Health/Tele-Medicine
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Programme Activities Planned in 2015
Activity

Location, Date

UN/Japan Workshop on Space Weather "Science and Data Products from ISWI
Instruments"

2-6 March 2015
Fukuoka, Japan

UN/Russian Federation Workshop on the Applications of Global Navigation
Satellite Systems

18-22 May 2015
Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation

UN/Austria Symposium on Integrated Space Technology Applications for
Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions

7-10 September 2015
Graz, Austria

UN/Islamic Republic of Iran Workshop on the Use of Space Technology for
Dust Storm and Drought Monitoring in Middle East Region

26-30 September 2015
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

UN/South Africa Symposium on Basic Space Technology

September 2015
Cape Town, South Africa

UN/International Astronautical Federation Workshop on Space Technology for
Socio-Economic Benefits

9-11 October 2015
Jerusalem, Israel

UN/Costa Rica Workshop on Human Space Technology

9-13 November 2015
San Jose, Costa Rica

UN/Kenya Workshop on Space Technology and Applications for Wildlife
Management and Protecting Biodiversity

November 2015
Kenya

UN/United Arab Emirates High Level Forum: Space as a Driver for SocioEconomic Sustainable Development

15-17 November 2015
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

UN/International Meeting on Global Navigation Satellite Systems

14-18 December 2015
Vienna, Austria

See http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/SAP/sched/index.html
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21Basic Space Science Initiative (BSSI)Int. Space Weather Initiative (2010-2012)
Coordination of ISWI Instrument Networks
Deployment and operation of 14 ground-based,
world-wide instrument networks

http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/bssi/index.html
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Basic Space Technology Initiative (BSTI) Objective: Support capacity building andinternational cooperation inbasic space technology
development, particularly in thefield of small satellite
development

 Projects:
 Annual international spacetechnology symposiums
 Long-term fellowship
programme Space engineering education
curriculum
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/bsti/index.html
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Human Space Technology Initiative (HSTI) Objectives: Create awareness among Member
States on the benefits of humanspace technology and its
applications; Promote international cooperation inhuman space flight and space
exploration-related activities;
 Support capacity-building in
microgravity research and education

 Projects:
 Zero-Gravity Instrument Project(ZGIP)
 Drop Tower Experiment Series(DropTES) KiboCube – Satellite Deployment
from ISS
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http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/hsti/index.html

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Regional Centres, affiliated to the United Nations

Western Asia
Jordan (RCSSTE)

Beijing (RCSSTEAP)

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United Nations Education Curricula






Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems
Satellite Communications
Satellite Meteorology and Global Climate
Space and Atmospheric Sciences as well as data management
Global Navigation Satellite Systems
Space Law
Space Engineering (under development)

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IV. International Committee on
Global Navigation Satellite
Systems (ICG)

International Committee on GNSS
 Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and theirapplications are overarching, enabling space technologies
 ICG Membership is open to GNSS providers or users ofGNSS services– 9 nations and the European Community– 15 organizations ( UN system entities, IGOs, NGOs)

 Regular ICG meetings– Adopted the ICG Work Plan and Terms of Reference– Established a Providers Forum http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/icg/icg.html

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International Committee on GNSS
 Promoting the use of GNSS technologies as tools forscientific applications, including space weather effects onGNSS

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2007: The way
forward to provide
positioning,navigation andtiming globally

2010: Report onplanned orexisting GNSS andrelevant policies &procedures

2011: Achievements ofproviders and users of
PNT services, under theumbrella of the UN

2012: Education
Curriculum &Glossary of GNSSTerms

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V. United Nations Platform forSpace-based Information for
Disaster Management andEmergency Response(UN-SPIDER)

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UN-SPIDER Programme

Ensure that all countries andregional and internationalorganisations have access to anddevelop the capacity to use all typesof space-based information to
support the full disastermanagement cycle– being a gateway to space
information for disastermanagement support;– serving as a bridge to connect
the disaster management andspace communities; and– being a facilitator of capacitybuilding and institutional
strengthening.
Builds on existing capacities
http://www.un-spider.org

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UN-SPIDERin Vienna

UN-SPIDER
Beijing Office

UN-SPIDERBonn Office

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UN-SPIDER Programme UN-SPIDER uses all types of space-based information:

 Earth Observation

 Satellite Communication

 Navigation and Positioning
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UN-SPIDER Network of Regional Support Offices

RUSSIAN FEDERATIONROMANIAUKRAINEHUNGARYADRC

PAKISTAN
NEPAL
I.R. IRAN

ALGERIAUWICATHALACRCMRDNIGERIAIWMI
INDONESIACOLOMBIAARGENTINA

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UN-SPIDER Technical Advisory Missions

Mongolia

Samoa

Bangladesh
Dominica
Bhutan Myanmar
JamaicanGabon BurkinaFaso
Republic Cabo
Viet Nam
Suda
Togo
GuatemalaMaldives
VerdenCameroon
El Salvador
Ghana
Kenya Sri Lanka
Nigeria
MalawiEcuador
ZambiaTonga

Namibia

Mozambique

SolomonIslandsFiji

Technical Advisory
Missions

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VI. UN-Space

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Examples of Space Applications Use in the UN
United Nations Entity

Space-related Activities

Department of Peacekeeping
Operations (DPKO)

Establishment of GIS units in major United Nations Peacekeeping
Missions

International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction Secretariat (ISDR)

PreventionWeb (www.preventionweb.net), Hazard andvulnerability profiles

Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

ReliefWeb (www.reliefweb.int), End-user support for disaster
response (ICT kits)

United Nations Office on Drugs andCrime (UNODC)

Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme

Food and Agriculture Organization ofthe United Nations (FAO)

GeoNetwork, AsiaCover, AFRICOVER Land Cover Mapping andGlobal Land Cover Network (GLCN), Global Terrestrial Observing
System (GTOS), Advanced Real Time Environmental Monitoring
Information System (ARTEMIS)

International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO)World Area Forecast , Aircraft emergency locator systems in coordination with COSPAS-SARSAT, Global Navigation Satellite
System (GNSS) for navigation, Frequency spectrum issues in coordination with ITU and IMO

International Maritime Organization(IMO)

Maritime navigation, Satellite communications

International TelecommunicationsUnion (ITU)Radio regulations governing the use of the radio-frequency
spectrum and satellite orbits, Telecommunications and remotesensing for disaster management

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Examples of Space Applications Use in the UN
United Nations Entity

Space-related Activities

United Nations Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organization (UNESCO)UNESCO Space Education Programme, World Climate ResearchProgramme(Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO)World Health Organization (WHO)Health Mapping ProjectWorld Meteorological Organization(WMO)WMO Space Programme and the space-based Global Observing
System (GOS)World Bank GroupCo-financing of space applications-based projects, Environmental
monitoring, project assessments

Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

Regional Space Applications Programme (RESAP)International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA)

Safety of space nuclear power sources (NPS)

Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Refugee Camp Mapping

World Food Programme (WFP)

Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM)

United Nations Institute for Training
and Research (UNITAR)

Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT)CTBTO (Preparatory Commission)

Global Communications Infrastructure

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UN Coordination of Outer Space Activities
 Originated as a SubCommittee on Outer
Space Activities of the
Administrative Committee
on Co-ordination in 1974
 Annual Inter-Agency
Meeting on Outer SpaceActivities (UN-Space) Participation of up to 26
UN entities Bi-annual Report of theUN Secretary Generaland other special reports
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See http://www.uncosa.unvienna.org

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VII. Outlook & Conclusions

UNISPACE+50
 In 2015 the United Nations Committee on the PeacefulUses of Outer Space (COPUOS), adopted theUNISPACE+50 initiative
 UNISPACE+50, to be held in 2018, seeks to develop
stronger space governance and supporting structuresat all levels, building on the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development
 UNISPACE+50 will consider ways and means forstrengthening the role of UNOOSA and the Committee
within the United Nations system and the global spacecommunity
 It prioritises improved governance, capacity-building,resilience, interoperability of systems and space forsustainable development.
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Conclusions• Space-based data and information is making increasingly
more important contributions to inform policy- and decision
making in support of sustainable development• UNOOSA has the unique mandate from the UN Member
States for the global coordination of international
cooperation of outer space activities• The space community wishes to demonstrate how it canplay a stronger role in the global development agenda,
using space technology and applications to help
implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and to monitor its progress• The UNISPACE+50 initiative of COPUOS will be the next
major step to ensure that space activities contribute tosustainable developmentof humankind
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Thank you for your attention!
Questions?
Werner Balogh
Office for Outer Space Affairs
United Nations Office at Vienna
Email: werner.balogh@unoosa.org
Tel: +43-1-26060-4952
Fax: +43-1-26060-5830
UNOOSA Website: www.unoosa.org

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