UN-SPONSORED CENTRE FOR SPACE EDUCATION TO OPEN IN MOROCCO

22 October 1998

Press Release
OS/1744

UN-SPONSORED CENTRE FOR SPACE EDUCATION TO OPEN IN MOROCCO

19981022 VIENNA, 22 October (UN Information Service) -- In a continuing bid to boost space technology education in developing countries, the second United Nations-sponsored centre for training in that science is being inaugurated in Casablanca, Morocco, from 22 to 24 October.

The Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education, catering to French-speaking African nations, will train students in space and satellite technology that could be invaluable in tackling crucial problems ranging from natural disasters and weather forecasting to education.

The inauguration, hosted by the Government of Morocco, is being attended by the Moroccan Minister of Higher Education, Vocational Training and Scientific Research, as well as invited delegates from 30 African nations and the Vienna-based Office for Outer Space Affairs.

The first United Nations-sponsored space technology centre, which opened in November 1995, in India for the Asia and Pacific Region, has already held six nine-month courses serving a total of 128 post-graduate students from 25 countries.

In November, a third centre will be opened in Nigeria for English-speaking African nations and agreement has been reached to set up another for the Latin America and Caribbean Region, co-hosted by Brazil and Mexico. In addition, a seven-nation network linking space-related education and research institutions is in the works for central, eastern and south- eastern Europe.

Each centre focuses on remote sensing, satellite meteorology, satellite communications and atmospheric sciences. Eventually, centre data management units will be linked to existing and future global databases.

The space technology centres are part of the United Nations effort to boost space science know-how in developing countries. A series of meetings in the late 1980s, sponsored by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, agreed that in-depth space training was needed for educators and scientists in those countries so they could help solve global, regional and national environmental and resource management problems.

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