Secretary-General Hails Fiftieth Anniversary since Historic Earth Orbit,

 

50 Years of Outer Space Committee’s Efforts to Push New Frontiers

 

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message on the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and the fiftieth anniversary of human space flight, in Vienna today, 1 June:

Excellencies, distinguished representatives, ladies and gentleman,

Of all the important and challenging topics on the agenda of the United Nations, perhaps none quite captures our imagination like outer space.

And this is indeed a special year.  We mark the fiftieth anniversary of human space flight that began when Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth.  We also celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the first meeting of the permanent Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

For half a century, your Committee has worked to ensure that outer space is used for peaceful purposes — while also bringing the benefits of space technology to all.  Through the years, those benefits have helped us confront very down-to-earth problems — producing tools that are transforming weather forecasting, environmental protection, humanitarian assistance and more.

Just outside my office, there are three United Nations flags, including one flown to the Moon by the astronauts of Apollo 14 in 1971.  To me, they serve as constant reminders of our common humanity, and our global quest to conquer shared challenges.

That is your mission.  Thank you for all you are doing to push us to new frontiers of knowledge and understanding.

My congratulations on these important milestones and my best wishes for a successful session.

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For information media • not an official record