Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The candidate countries Türkiye, Albania, Ukraine[1], as well as Armenia, align themselves with this statement.

Chair,

The upcoming Summit of the Future in New York provides a key opportunity to put outer space issues high on the international agenda.

We encourage all COPUOS members to engage actively in New York to ensure that the Pact for the Future fosters a peaceful, safe, secure and sustainable use of outer space and facilitates the implementation of the Space2030 Agenda and the use of space applications and technologies for the achievement of the SDGs.

The Pact for the Future should encourage further work on space traffic coordination, space debris and space resource activities. It should encourage the implementation and updating of the existing guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities within COPUOS.

As importantly, the Pact for the Future should urge the Secretary-General to strengthen the small UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in its role as secretariat to COPUOS and its subcommittees and to ensure that the Office can fully and effectively implement its mandate.

In the same spirit, we also support UNOOSA Director Holla-Maini’s proposal to consider holding a UNISPACE IV space summit in Vienna in 2027. 

Thank you for your attention.

[1] Albania continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.