EU Statement at COPUOS LSC65 on status and application of the five UN treaties on outer space, 16 April 2026

Chair,  

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

Chair, 

The European Union supports the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, as a cornerstone of the United Nations and an integral part of the mandate of UNOOSA and COPUOS. The EU contributes to the implementation of the Space2030 Agenda via the Global Gateway and the EU Space Programme’s components Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and GOVSATCOM – not only within the EU, but also in third countries, especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The EU has shared significant insights on its activities supporting the “Space2030” Agenda as part of the mid-term review. 

A central priority for the European Union is to ensure that the benefits of space are accessible to all, in particular to developing countries. We are committed to strengthening international cooperation and capacity-building efforts to enable partner countries to harness space-based solutions for their national development priorities. This includes support for data access, technical training, and institutional development, in close cooperation with international partners and the United Nations system as the strategic utilisation of space technologies has the potential to substantially accelerate the attainment of the 2030 SDGs.

The European Union also recognises the importance of addressing structural challenges faced by developing countries, including limited technical capacity and unequal access to space. In this context, we actively support initiatives that promote knowledge-sharing, capacity building, and inclusive participation in global space governance.

We are proud of EU initiatives, such as the Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme with its initial investment of EUR 45 million, which foster space technologies, services and applications to address critical societal challenges, including climate change monitoring and disaster resilience, strengthening food security and emergency management. These efforts are further supported by utilising data from the EU’s Copernicus Earth Observation Programme. 

The EU welcomes the Space 2030 Agenda’s objective of promoting inclusiveness and gender equality in space activities, notably by enhancing women’s participation in science and technology.

In conclusion, the European Union remains firmly committed to advancing the peaceful uses of outer space as a driver of sustainable development through the Space 2030 Agenda, and we highlight the need to explicitly address this issue throughout COPUOS and its Sub-Committees, all while leaving no one behind. 

Thank you.