At a side event on Space for Youth held during the 62nd session of the Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) announced the winners of the inaugural Space for Youth Competition. The Competition was held in the context of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UNOOSA and SGAC, which is a global non-governmental, non-profit organization that aims to represent university students and young space professionals to the United Nations, space agencies, industry and academia.
The Space 4 Youth competition asked youth all over the world to provide examples of how space can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their community and ideas on how to further leverage its potential. As the UN’s gateway to space, UNOOSA aims to facilitate young people’s positive contributions as agents of change in international cooperation in outer space.
The competition supports the implementation of the UN Youth Strategy, specifically its first priority: “Engagement, participation and advocacy to amplify youth voices for the promotion of a peaceful, just and sustainable world”.
Over 135 young people from almost 40 countries took part in the competition.
The winners are:
– Milica Milosev (SDG13 Climate Action) from Serbia;
– George Profitiliotis (SDG15 Life on Land) from Greece; and
– Arthur Nielsen Demain (SDG16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) from the Philippines.
The three winners will participate in the 27th Workshop on Space Technology for Socio-Economic Benefits on the theme “Ensuring inclusiveness through space-based applications and space exploration” organized from 18 to 20 October 2019 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and supported by UNOOSA in conjunction with the 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Washington D.C. in the United States. This session will connect space leaders and young people to exchange ideas and develop projects to seize the benefits of space for development.
UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo said: “The exploration of outer space and the development of space technologies are, by nature, long-term, inter-generational pursuits. Through initiatives such as this one, UNOOSA is strengthening the involvement of the next generation in outer space affairs for the achievement of the SDGs, in line with the 2030 Youth Strategy of the United Nations Secretary-General. We aim to ensure that young people are not only the recipient of decisions made on local, national or global level, but also an integral part of the decision-making process.”
SGAC Executive Director Clementine Decoopman said: “The ‘Space for Youth’ Competition aimed at engaging youth in the discussion of how space science and technology can be used to power the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the perfect example of means by which SGAC can achieve its vision: to employ the creativity and vigour of youth in advancing humanity through the peaceful uses of space. We believe this is an important step forward in voicing the perspective of students and young professionals in the space sector around the world. We are proud to see so many students and young professionals at the forefront of this global effort”.
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/
