›World Space Forum 2020

World Space Forum 2020: 'Space for our Future'

ONLINE VIRTUAL MEETING

Organized jointly by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, 9-10 December 2020 

INFORMATION

Introduction

As of today, 70 UN Member States have established space agencies and in 2017 the world launched a record number of satellites.  Research shows that around 40% of the 169 targets behind the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) benefit from the use of geo-location and earth observation satellites. With the inclusion of telecommunication satellites, this statistic rises substantially. Today, innovative space-based science and technology are accelerating achievement of SDGs in many parts of the world.   

The United Nations aims to leverage innovative solutions and technological developments to realise common sustainable development goals, and attention is increasingly placed on the unique potential of space technologies in this endeavour. It is therefore important to build on the outcomes of UNISPACE+50 and take advantage of the momentum it generated to ensure that the current exchanges fully capture the political, legal and capacity building elements of international cooperation in space exploration.

UNIQUENESS

Launched in November 2019, the WORLD SPACE FORUM is a new event series hosted by the United Nations that is built on the recommendations generated at three High-Level Fora held from 2016 to 2018. The sequence of Fora demonstrated the growing interest of an increasing number of actors in discussing the future of space and international cooperation along the pillars of space economy, space society, space accessibility and space diplomacy. Going forward, the World Space Forum will take the place of the High-Level Forum.

As the only Office in the United Nations system that deals exclusively with the peaceful uses of outer space, UNOOSA is in a unique position to bring together all relevant stakeholders to make a difference and to ensure that the benefits of space are available to the broadest possible user base, in all countries around the world.

As we look ahead to the future and welcome more actors to the space arena, international cooperation for a sustainable space environment is essential. Together with its partners, the United Nations stands ready to facilitate productive and impactful international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.

This year's World Space Forum seeks to step up these efforts and ensure that the benefits of space are brought to everyone, everywhere. By facilitating the exchange of best practices and more inter-agency collaboration in support of the SDGs, space exploration, science and technology can finally become more universally used as one of the key tools for a better future.

Who should attend

The  WORLD SPACE FORUM brings together experts and policymakers from regional, national and local institutions, private organizations, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations and international organizations, who exchange views on the four pillars of space economy, space society, space accessibility and space diplomacy.

Objectives

As we embark on the Decade of Action to deliver global goals, space agencies all over the world continue to achieve remarkable ends in pursuit of the SDGs. UNOOSA, as the gateway to space in the United Nations, is well placed to bring this range of global activity into one place to encourage the coordinated direction needed to maximise the impact of such efforts:

• Position the UN as a unique forum for Space Actors   to collectively shape the future  
• Raise awareness of space activities and space tools for the achievements of the global agendas   
• Present new space technologies that are enabling progress and driving cooperation and partnership in Outer Space   
• Exchange on the need to ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space activities  
• Discuss global governance of outer space activities   and its contribution towards the future of space  
• Bring together space actors to exchange best practices and explore ways to collectively address challenges to humanity and sustainable development issues to launch a:

'CALL FOR ACTION'

♦ Space  solutions  to secure broader inclusion of space solutions and generate more space resources for the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals ♦

♦ Global action for space safety and sustainability ♦

♦ Partnership action to jointly develop solutions to overcome the growing "space divide" ♦

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