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EU Explanation of Vote: UN General Assembly 4th Committee: International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space

31.10.2022
New York
Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in New York

31 October 2022, New York – European Union Explanation of Vote at the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee on International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space (A/C.4/77/L.7)

Mr. Chair,

 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Member States of the European Union.

 

The Candidate Countries, North Macedonia*, Montenegro* and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

 

Mr. Chair,

 

The EU and its Member States thank and congratulate the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – COPUOS and its Chair, Omran Sharaf, as well as the Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and its acting Director, Niklas Hedman, for their excellent work. We highly value that the consensual character of products in this 4C cluster has been maintained also during this year in a more challenging geopolitical environment.

 

Against the background of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which we condemn in the strongest terms, we have also very explicitly highlighted, both during Vienna negotiations as well as during the debate in this cluster last week, that the EU and its Member States can no longer support the process noted in UN General Assembly Resolution 76/76 towards the UN affiliation of a new regional centre for space science and technology education hosted in Russia. We also invited all UN Member States to reconsider their position, and we called upon UNOOSA to refrain from initiating any cooperation projects with the Russian Federation in the current situation.

 

Mr. Chair,

Although the language of OP28 [! may become OP29 when CA amendment is inserted !] in the tabled draft resolution has been modified in a more neutral way in attempt to resolve the aforementioned problem, we are afraid that it is, unfortunately, still preserving its potential of a back-door for unwanted developments. At the same time this para is singling out domestic developments in the space domain in only one member state which could be regarded as incoherent and discriminatory.

The UN MSs, in which name this EoV is delivered, are therefore dissociating themselves from para OP28.

Thank you

 

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.