WORLD SPACE FORUM (UN/UAE), Dec 9-10, 2020, virtual The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency will host the World Space Forum on December 9-10, 2020. The event will take place virtually.

ABU DHABI, 8th December, 2020 (WAM) -- The two-day World Space Forum, which will begin tomorrow, is a key global forum that aims to achieve the United Nations, UN, Sustainable Development Goals and ensure the ideal global utilisation of space discoveries and science technologies.

Theme "Space for Our Future", the event brings together experts and policymakers from regional, national and local institutions, private organisations, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations and international organisations, to exchange views on the four pillars of space economy, space society, space accessibility and space diplomacy.

The remote forum, which will be held via video conferencing and is jointly organised by the UAE Space Agency and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, UNOOSA, reflects the country’s efforts to achieve sustainability in this key sector and adopt the best international practices, highlighted by the recent announcement of the signing of an agreement between the agency and the UNOOSA to establish a UN office in Abu Dhabi in charge of space sector affairs and sustainability.

In the following report, the Emirates News Agency, WAM, will present some of the forum’s agendas and key pillars. The forum aims to support the efforts to realise the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, through exchanging expertise, adopting best practices, reinforcing the cooperation between space agencies, and ensuring the ideal global use of space discoveries, sciences and technologies, to create a better future for generations to come.

Close to 80 UN Member States have established space agencies and in 2020, the space community has already launched over 1,000 satellites for the first time ever - breaking the previous record set in 2019. Research shows that around 40 percent 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.

The UNOOSA is performing a key role in gathering professionals involved in the space sector from around the world, to benefit the sector on a larger scale, and the forum aims to reinforce the related efforts and ensure that everyone can benefit from the sector’s advantages.

The forum will feature events and workshops that will focus on various topics, including the role of the space sector in addressing climate change, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises involved in the sector, the impact of the sector on the economy, and relevant partnerships between the public and private sectors.

In June 2020, the UAE Space Agency announced the signing of an agreement with the UNOOSA to establish an office in Abu Dhabi, which will reinforce the country’s strategic position in the region within relevant international organisations.

The signing of the agreement is due to the agency’s keenness to consolidate its ties with its strategic partners and aims to promote international cooperation in the field of space and sustainability, in line with the UAE’s efforts to create a diversified and sustainable economy and the UNOOSA’s goals.

The agreement is also an important addition to the efforts of the UAE and the UN to encourage international cooperation in the area of space sustainability.

Since its establishment, the agency has signed influential partnerships with more than 50 regional and international space agencies, as well as Memorandums and Understanding and agreements with more than 30 local and foreign entities.