UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE ON THE PEACEFUL USES OF OUTER SPACE
Agenda: Space Technology for Sustainable Socioeconomic Development
Letter from the Chairperson
Dear Delegates,
It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you to the Shishukunj Model United Nations 2022. I, Aaheli Roy, am honoured to serve as the Chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
I am an eleventh grader, studying Humanities with Psychology and Applied Maths. I am a keen debater, writer, public speaker and have been participating in MUN’s since the past five years. I always look forward to new experiences, and hope that this MUN serves as a memorable one for all delegates, with memories you can cherish for a lifetime. I will try my very best to ensure that each delegate achieves their full potential and becomes even more confident as an individual and most importantly, has something that they learned from to constantly get better.
The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space is a committee under ECOSOC whose main task is to review and foster international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, as well as to consider legal issues arising from the exploration of outer space. Our agenda for this year is Space Technology for Sustainable and Socioeconomic Development. We hope that the delegates come up with ingenious and practicable solutions for the same.
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Hope to see you at the conference!
Regards
Aaheli Roy
Chairperson
UNCOPUOS
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Organ Description
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was set up by the General Assembly in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for the benefit of all humanity: for peace, security and development. The committee is tasked with reviewing international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, studying space-related activities that could be undertaken by the United Nations, encouraging space research programs, and studying legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space. Owing to rapid advances in space technology, the committee provides a unique platform at the global level to monitor and discuss these developments.
Agenda: Space Technology for Sustainable and Socio-Economic Development
Outer space is a treasure trove of resources and opportunities both discovered and mysterious to man. Countries have been increasingly turning to the solar system to find solutions to the present need of mankind through the development of space. The UN even declared in June 2018 that space science is a ‘fundamental pillar’ of human development. One of the vital goals of the United Nations is to ensure that countries promote and hold on to sustainable development practices so humans do not inadvertently deplete natural resources, thus compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This goal holds true in outer space as it does on Earth.
It has been established that there is much to be gained through observation of Earth from space, scientific experiments done in space, and usage of natural resources found in outer space. Too often in history, quick scientific and economic gains have been made at an environmental or socioeconomic cost. As a committee, we must ensure that innovation in outer space is encouraged while legislating boundaries to follow. As in other areas of potential growth, private industry has become ever more curious about the possibilities of space. Private industry and the public sector must work together to create technologies that will facilitate sustainable growth. Partnerships between NGOs, research organizations, industry, and countries’ governments should be encouraged as per other areas of development, but they will be different when applied to the development of outer space.