Action Team on Sustainable Development

Brief mission statement:

(a) Examine the features that single out space technology as an indispensable component of any viable sustainable development agenda and specifically address how space technology can enhance human understanding and management of fundamental life-support systems—air, land and water—including the assessment and management, for example, of agriculture and food security, safety, the environment, education, transportation, health care and disaster mitigation;
(b) Determine the critical steps that each country should take in order to achieve the space capability necessary to support its sustainable development goals.

Findings:

(a) The collection and analysis of space-acquired data, including the use of geographical information, is a starting point on the path towards sustainable development. The inability of many societies to undertake development efforts that are sustainable is rooted in poor quality collection, organization and management of data;
(b) Space technology has brought into sharper focus the interdependence of the world on sustainable development issues. This is exemplified by the Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of the Earth from Outer Space (General Assembly resolution 41/65, annex), the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and the entry into force, on 1 November 2000, of the Charter on Cooperation to Achieve the Coordinated Use of Space Facilities in the Event of Natural or Technological Disasters (also known as the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”);
(c) There is growing investment and participation by Member States, in particular by developing countries, in space activities as a result of their recognition of the role of space technology as a viable sustainable development tool.

Recommendations for further action:

(a) Each country should urgently develop the necessary policy, commensurate with its capability, for space-related sustainable development programmes and should periodically sensitize its decision makers to the value and contribution of space science to human development through the organization of appropriate national and regional conferences. Each country should urgently develop its indigenous personnel through participation in regional centres of excellence in space science and technology and establish networks among national and regional institutions in order to facilitate and enhance collaborative research opportunities;
(b) In order to provide active coordination in environmental activities, international institutions, such as the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, should provide Member States with intellectual leadership that is built on a strong scientific and technical foundation. In order to provide a reliable basis for decision-making, existing conventions relating to sustainable development should forge stronger links with science-based institutions worldwide, such as the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, the Committee on Space Research and the International Astronautical Federation, and their scientific advisory bodies should be expanded to include experts in the fields of space science and technology;
(c) At the level of political leadership, African and West Asian countries should urgently emulate the organization of programmes at the regional level similar to the activities of the Space Conference of the Americas and the Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific. The General Assembly should find a way to evaluate regularly the compliance of Member States with globally agreed sustainable goals.

Implementation already initiated:

(a) Establishment of regional centres for space science and technology education affiliated to the United Nations;
(b) The ongoing organization of sustainable development activities by the Office for Outer Space Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, the European Space Agency, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and the International Astronautical Federation, in cooperation with Member States;
(c) The entry into force of the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” on 1 November 2000.

Indication of impediments to implementation:

(a) Space activities, in particular those which can support sustainable development programmes, are not being identified as a national priority;
(b) Failure to provide the necessary political support at the national level and to make the necessary national financial and other commitments for space-based sustainable development programmes.

Benefits to be derived from implementation:

(a) Availability of skilled personnel who can contribute to the generation and use of scientific and technical knowledge and the making of adjustments in existing institutional arrangements;
(b) Establishment of regional and international agreements focusing on areas of cooperation in space activities that could support sustainable development efforts, including the establishment of appropriate networks;
(c) Availability of space-related advisory panels that can support the various existing international conventions relevant to sustainable development;
(d) Establishment of agreements between each country and funding entities, such as the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, focusing on providing support for those aspects of the country’s development agenda which emphasize sustainable development.

Progress made by the Action Team:

(a) Through the development of the Action Team’s report and participation in international meetings and conferences, members of the Action Team have contributed to the ongoing global awareness of the role of space science and technology in sustainable development;
(b) The Action Team is cooperating with international organizations, such as the Office for Outer Space Affairs, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and the European Space Agency, in their activities on sustainable development for the benefit of Member States;
(c) The Action Team is sensitizing Member States to the need to bridge the digital divide within and across regional blocks and to the role and importance of the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”.