OUTER SPACE LEGAL SUBCOMMITTEE CONTINUES REVIEW OF ADHERENCE TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE TREATIES AT VIENNA MEETING FROM 1 TO 5 MARCH
Press Release
OS/1747
OUTER SPACE LEGAL SUBCOMMITTEE CONTINUES REVIEW OF ADHERENCE TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE TREATIES AT VIENNA MEETING FROM 1 TO 5 MARCH
19990303 Background Release To Finalize Reports and Preparatory Work For July World Conference on Space Technology (UNISPACE III)(Delayed in transmission.)
VIENNA, 25 February (UN Information Service) -- Full acceptance of existing international treaties governing the peaceful use of outer space will be the main topic for delegates at a meeting of the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The meeting, the thirty-eight session of the Subcommittee, will begin here on 1 March and is expected to conclude on 5 March.
While regular sessions of the Subcommittee, one of the two subsidiary bodies of the Outer Space Committee, are scheduled for a three-week period, the current session was cut short to allow for savings that can be used for funding of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), to be held in Vienna from 19 to 30 July. The General Assembly agreed to hold UNISPACE III in the form of a special meeting of the Committee that would be held without extra costs, within existing resources.
The current session of the Legal Subcommittee will review its contribution to UNISPACE III, which is expected to be in the form of a report by the Chairman of the Subcommittee outlining the past, present and future work of the body.
Reviewing the status of international space treaties (the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, 1968 Rescue Agreement, 1972 Liability Convention, 1975 Registration Convention and 1979 Moon Agreement) is a recent item on the agenda of the Subcommittee. This three-year review aims to achieve the widest and fullest to these treaties. The review is in its second year, and the Subcommittee expects at its current session to set up a working group that would begin to consider possible measures that would help achieve such adherence to the five space treaties.
The 61-member Subcommittee will also discuss a German proposal, made on behalf of various States, to introduce a new agenda item entitled, Review of the Concept of "Launching State", which would consider the concept within the context of its use in the existing treaties governing outer space activities, specifically the Registration Convention and the Liability Convention.
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The Subcommittee will also continue its consideration of legal issues relating to the review and possible revision of the United Nations principles relevant to the use of nuclear power sources in outer space, the definition and delimitation of outer space, and the character and utilization of the geostationary orbit.
As one of its first actions, the Subcommittee is also expected to elect a new chairperson for the remaining period of the three-year tenure of V. Mikulka (Czech Republic), who has handed in his resignation.
UNISPACE III
The General Assembly agreed in December 1997 that UNISPACE III should be held in Vienna from 19 to 30 July 1999 as a special session of the Committee, open to all 185 Member States of the United Nations. Two previous global conferences on space took place in Vienna in 1968 and 1982.
In addition to promoting the use of space technology to solve a variety of global problems, the Conference is intended as a forum to boost international cooperation in space technology and its uses, as well as increase public awareness of its benefits. It will also serve as an opportunity to critically evaluate space activities.
The Conference is also slated to include the following activities:
-- A technical forum with about 40 seminars, workshops and discussion round tables on such subjects as astronomy, international space law, health and education;
-- A space exhibition showcasing global achievements in space technology, with rocket displays and multi-media demonstrations, as well as a business opportunities forum (open to the public from 21 to 23 July -- for more information, please contact the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, tel: 1-703-264-7535);
-- A space generation forum for university, graduate students and young professionals, giving them a chance to air their views on crucial space activities for the next century.
Treaties The 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies ("Outer Space Treaty") provides that space exploration shall be carried out for the benefit of all countries, irrespective of their degree of development. It also seeks to maintain outer space as the province of all mankind, free for exploration and use by all States and not subject to national appropriation.
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The 1968 Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space ("Rescue Agreement") provides for aiding the crews of spacecraft in the event of accident or emergency landing, and establishes a procedure for returning to a launching authority a space object found beyond the territorial limits of that authority.
The 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects ("Liability Convention") provides that the launching State is liable for damage caused by its space objects on the earth's surface or to aircraft in flight and also to space objects of another State or persons or property on board such objects.
The 1975 Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space ("Registration Convention") provides that launching States shall maintain registries of space objects and furnish specified information on each space object launched, for inclusion in a central United Nations Register.
The 1979 Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies ("Moon Agreement") elaborates in more specific terms the principles relating to the moon and other celestial bodies set out in the 1966 Treaty and sets up the basis for the future regulation of exploration and exploitation of natural resources found on such bodies.
Membership
The Subcommittee is made up of the following 61 members from the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba*, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia*, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru*, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea*, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam and Yugoslavia.
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__________ * Peru and Malaysia rotate every two years with Cuba and the Republic of Korea).