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EU Statement at the 61st Session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) as delivered on 5 February 2024

05.02.2024 Press and information team of the Delegation to UN and OSCE in Vienna

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The following countries align themselves with this statement: Albania*, Ukraine, Norway+, and Armenia.

The EU welcomes the ongoing work in New York towards the Summit of the Future and thanks Germany and Namibia for their leadership. We consider that the Vienna community should contribute actively to the preparations of the Summit of the Future where safety, security and sustainability of outer space activities and their benefits for sustainable development should feature prominently.

We welcome that four dedicated paragraphs on outer space have been included in the zero draft of the Pact for the Future, issued by the Co-Facilitators in New York.

The EU agrees that the Pact for the Future should facilitate the implementation of the Space2030 Agenda and the use of space applications and technologies for the achievement of the SDGs, with a focus on bridging the digital divide, enhancing climate action and disaster risk reduction, fostering innovation and economic growth.

We hope that the Pact for the Future will aim at fostering a peaceful, safe, secure and sustainable use of outer space. It should encourage UNOOSA and COPUOS to help promoting regional approaches on space traffic management as a pragmatic, bottom-up approach to build confidence and concrete space traffic management solutions at global level. It should encourage the implementation and updating of the existing guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. We recall that the Working Group on the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities operating under the COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee is the leading multilateral body to conduct this work.

As importantly, the Pact for the Future should urge the Secretary-General to strengthen UNOOSA and to ensure that the Office can fully and effectively implement its mandate.

Thank you for your attention.

* Candidate Country Albania continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

+ Norway is a member of the EFTA and of the European Economic Area.