International Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 48 International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, published in 2016.

What else is in this group?

78 documents · 1960–2025

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2025).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/76	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	4,167	–
2024	A/RES/79/87	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	4,172	–
2023	A/RES/78/72	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	3,907	–
2022	A/RES/77/121	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	3,657	–
2021	A/RES/76/76	International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space	3,618	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 5	Peaceful uses of outer space	38

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 5	Peaceful uses of outer space	38	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 subjects

International Cooperation International Days Outer Space Space Exploration Space Sciences Space Technology

What’s in this document?

34 operative paragraphs

Endorses the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on the work of its fifty-ninth session,5 with the exception of the annex thereto, which, together with a preambular text and a second set of guidelines, will form a full compendium of guidelines, to be adopted by the Committee and referred to the General Assembly in 2018;⁶

⁶The annex to the report of the Committee, entitled “Guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities: first set”, is not submitted to the General Assembly for action. The preambular text and the second set of guidelines are still to be completed to form a full compendium of guidelines, which is to be referred to the Assembly at its seventy-third session, in 2018 (see paras. 133–137 of the report).

Agrees that the Committee, at its sixtieth session, should consider the substantive items recommended at its fifty-ninth session,⁷ taking into account the concerns of all countries, in particular those of developing countries;

⁷Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/71/20), para. 318.

Notes that, at its fifty-fifth session, the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee continued its work,⁸ as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 70/82;

⁸Ibid., chap. II.C; and A/AC.105/1113.

Agrees that the Legal Subcommittee, at its fifty-sixth session, should consider the substantive items and reconvene the working groups recommended by the Committee,⁹ taking into account the concerns of all countries, in particular those of developing countries;

⁹Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/71/20), paras. 212–214.

Urges States that have not yet become parties to the international treaties governing the uses of outer space¹⁰ to give consideration to ratifying or acceding to those treaties in accordance with their national law, as well as incorporating them into their national legislation;

¹⁰Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 610, No. 8843); Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 672, No. 9574); Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 961, No. 13810); Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1023, No. 15020); and Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1363, No. 23002).

Notes with satisfaction that the space law curriculum developed by the Office for Outer Space Affairs of the Secretariat and published in all official languages of the United Nations could encourage further studies within States in cooperation with relevant entities in support of capacity-building efforts in space law and policy;

Notes that, at its fifty-third session, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee continued its work,¹¹ as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 70/82;

¹¹Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/71/20), chap. II.B; and A/AC.105/1109.

Agrees that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its fifty-fourth session, should consider the substantive items and reconvene the working groups recommended by the Committee,¹² taking into account the concerns of all countries, in particular those of developing countries;

¹²Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/71/20), paras. 145–147.

Reiterates the importance of information-sharing in discovering, monitoring and physically characterizing potentially hazardous near-Earth objects to ensure that all countries, in particular developing countries with limited capacity in predicting and mitigating a near-Earth object impact, are aware of potential threats, emphasizes the need for capacity-building for effective emergency response and disaster management in the event of a near-Earth object impact, and notes with satisfaction the establishment of and work carried out by the International Asteroid Warning Network and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group to implement the recommendations for an international response to the near-Earth object impact threat, with the support of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, serving as the permanent secretariat of the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group;¹³

¹³Ibid., para. 119; ibid., Seventieth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/70/20), para. 153; ibid., Sixty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/68/20), para. 144; and A/AC.105/1038, para. 198, and annex III.

Declares 30 June International Asteroid Day to observe each year at the international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908 and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard;

Notes with appreciation that some States are already implementing space debris mitigation measures on a voluntary basis, through national mechanisms and consistent with the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee and with the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,¹⁴ endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/217, and invites other States to implement, through relevant national mechanisms, the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space;

¹⁴Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-second Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/62/20), annex.

Considers that it is essential that States pay more attention to the problem of collisions of space objects, especially those with nuclear power sources, with space debris, and other aspects of space debris, calls for the continuation of national research on this question, for the development of improved technology for the monitoring of space debris and for the compilation and dissemination of data on space debris, also considers that, to the extent possible, information thereon should be provided to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, and agrees that international cooperation is needed to expand appropriate and affordable strategies to minimize the impact of space debris on future space missions;

Urges all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the goal of preventing an arms race in outer space as an essential condition for the promotion of international cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes;

Requests the Committee to continue to consider, as a matter of priority, ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session, and agrees that the Committee should continue to consider the broader perspective of space security and associated matters that would be instrumental in ensuring the safe and responsible conduct of space activities, including ways to promote international, regional and interregional cooperation to that end;

Decides to convene, within existing resources, a joint half-day panel discussion of the Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee) and the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), to constitute a joint contribution by the First and Fourth Committees to the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, and to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-second session, under the item entitled “International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space”, a sub-item entitled “Joint panel discussion of the First and Fourth Committees on possible challenges to space security and sustainability”;¹⁵

¹⁵Ibid., Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/71/20), para. 273; and A/AC.105/1113, annex I, para. 19 (c).

Notes with satisfaction that the Committee, at its fifty-ninth session, agreed on seven thematic priorities of UNISPACE+50, including their objectives and mechanisms;¹⁶

¹⁶Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/71/20), para. 296.

Emphasizes the central role of the Office for Outer Space Affairs in fostering capacity-building in the use of space science and technology and their applications and in providing assistance to developing countries, at their request, in the development of national space policy and legislation in conformity with international space law, as well as in the strengthening of institutional capacity in space activities, and urges all Member States to contribute to the Trust Fund in Support of the United Nations Programme on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in order to enhance the capacity of the Office to provide technical and legal advisory services in its priority thematic areas;

Notes with satisfaction the workshops and symposiums held by the Office for Outer Space Affairs in 2016, and requests the Office to continue to apprise the Committee and its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and Legal Subcommittee, at their respective sessions in 2017, of the status of its capacity-building activities;¹⁷

¹⁷Ibid., para. 60. See also A/AC.105/1107, annex II, and resolution 70/230.

Recognizes the capacity-building activities under the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, which provide unique benefits for Member States, in particular developing countries, participating in those activities;

Notes with satisfaction the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), and recognizes the significant achievements made and the advisory support provided to 38 Member States within the framework of UN-SPIDER since its establishment in 2006¹⁸ with the valuable contributions of its network of regional support offices, and encourages Member States, on a voluntary basis, to provide the programme with the additional resources necessary to address the increasing demand for support successfully and in a timely manner;

¹⁸Resolution 61/110.

Reiterates the importance of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030,¹⁹ in which the value of space-based technology and Earth observation for disaster management and emergency response is recognized, and notes with satisfaction the efforts of the Office for Outer Space Affairs and its UN-SPIDER programme towards promoting international cooperation as a way to enhance the use of space-based technologies and related services at the national and local levels;

¹⁹Resolution 69/283, annex II.

Notes with satisfaction the continuous progress made by the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems with the support of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, in its capacity as executive secretariat of the International Committee, towards achieving compatibility and interoperability among global and regional space-based positioning, navigation and timing systems and in the promotion of the use of global navigation satellite systems and their integration into national infrastructure, particularly in developing countries, and notes with appreciation that the International Committee will hold its eleventh meeting in Sochi, Russian Federation, from 6 to 11 November 2016;

Notes with appreciation that the regional centres for space science and technology education, affiliated to the United Nations, namely, the African regional centres for space science and technology education in the French and English languages, located in Morocco and Nigeria, respectively, the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and the Pacific, located in China, the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific, located in India, the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Latin America and the Caribbean, with campuses located in Brazil and Mexico, and the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Western Asia, located in Jordan, have continued their education programmes in 2016, encourages the regional centres to continue to promote greater participation of women in their education programmes, and agrees that the regional centres should continue to report to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on their activities;

Emphasizes that regional and interregional cooperation in the field of space activities is essential to strengthen the peaceful uses of outer space, assist States in the development of their space capabilities and contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,2 to that end requests relevant regional organizations and their groups of experts to offer the assistance necessary so that countries can carry out the recommendations of regional conferences, and in that regard notes the importance of the equal participation of women in all fields of science and technology;

Recognizes, in that regard, the important role played by organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and the European Space Agency and by conferences and other mechanisms such as the African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Development, the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum and the Space Conference of the Americas in strengthening regional and international cooperation among States;

Emphasizes the need to increase the benefits of space technology and its applications and to contribute to an orderly growth of space activities favourable to sustained economic growth and sustainable development in all countries, including strengthening sustainable spatial data infrastructure at the regional and national levels and building resilience to reduce the consequences of disasters, in particular in developing countries;

Reiterates the need to promote the benefits of space technology and its applications in the major United Nations conferences and summits for economic, social and cultural development and related fields, and recognizes that the fundamental significance of space science and technology and their applications for global, regional, national and local sustainable development processes should be promoted in the formulation of policies and programmes of action and their implementation, including through efforts towards achieving the objectives of those conferences and summits and in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

Encourages Member States, to that end, to promote the inclusion in those conferences, summits and processes of the relevance of space science and technology applications and the use of space-derived geospatial data, with the involvement of the Office for Outer Space Affairs;

Encourages the Office for Outer Space Affairs to take active part in those conferences, summits and processes, and other activities in support of the objectives of UNISPACE+50, as appropriate, and to conduct capacity-building activities, hold lectures and participate in academic and research activities to foster international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space;

Urges the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities (UN-Space), under the leadership of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, to continue to examine how space science and technology and their applications could contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and encourages entities of the United Nations system to participate, as appropriate, in UN-Space coordination efforts;

Encourages the Office for Outer Space Affairs to continue to conduct capacity-building and outreach activities associated with space security and transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities, as appropriate, and within the context of the long-term sustainability of outer space activities;

Decides that New Zealand shall become a member of the Committee;

Endorses the decision of the Committee to grant permanent observer status to the International Air Transport Association;²⁰

²⁰Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/71/20), para. 315.

Encourages the regional groups to promote active participation in the work of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies by the States members of the Committee that are also members of the respective regional groups.

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