UN-Space, Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities, opens in New York

NEW YORK/VIENNA, 13 May (UN Information Service) – UN-Space is an opportunity to discuss the views of United Nations entities on the role of space-related activities in a wider context of  the global development agenda, said United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Director Simonetta Di Pippo in her opening remarks at the 34th session of UN-Space today in New York. I hope that our collaboration will result in greater use of space technology as an enabler and a means of implementation of the development objectives in the work of the United Nations entities and Member States, added Ms. Di Pippo.

UN-Space, the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities, brings together UN entities annually to discuss and cooperate on the use of space-related activities for development, within their respective mandates. This year, the meeting is being held in conjunction with the United Nations Geographic Information Working Group (UNGIWG) and will discuss the contribution of space-based technology for climate change, disaster risk reduction and emergency response and the use of spatial data and activities related to the UNGIWG and the United Nations Spatial Data Infrastructure.

There will also be an open session on 14 May on the topic of “Engaging Space Tools for Development on Earth – Contribution of Space Technology and Applications to the Post-2015 Development Agenda”. The open informal session is an interactive forum for Governments, national authorities, United Nations system entities, private sector and civil society and aims at promoting the pivotal importance of space technology and applications for eradicating poverty and advancing development in the post-2015 framework.

More information on the 34th session of UN-Space and the Open Session can be found at http://www.uncosa.unvienna.org/uncosa/en/iamos/index.html

As an introduction, UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo has recorded a brief interview. This can be found here.

The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs leads the Inter-Agency Meeting and serves as its secretariat. The Office, being a United Nations entity with about 30 staff, and based in Vienna, with offices in Bonn and in Beijing for the UN-SPIDER programme, stands at the centre of international efforts to bring the benefits of space technology to meet global development needs and protect and preserve the Earth and space environment, with the prime mandate to serve the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space  and its Subcommittees.