VIENNA, 20 January (UN Information Service) — An open informal session on
“Education and training in space-related areas: challenges and
opportunities in the UN system”, will be held on the afternoon of 23
January at the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
in Geneva, Switzerland. The session will take place immediately after the
24th annual session of the United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer
Space Activities, to be held from 21 to 23 January.

The purpose of this first informal open session is to exchange views and
information between Member States of the United Nations Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and the United Nations agencies, on
how to strengthen the activities of the United Nations in space-related
areas. The session will include presentations by United Nations agencies
and Member States on their respective space-related education and training
programmes. The session will also include an open discussion on the topic
of “Contributions of the space community to the UN Decade on Education for
Sustainable Development”.

Member States will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with
training programmes offered by the United Nations system, such as the
UNESCO Space Education Programme and the WMO Space Programme. The United
Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs will present its programme of
seminars and workshops on space applications, regularly organized for the
benefit of experts, scientists, engineers and policy makers from developing
countries.

Representatives from the following countries and United Nations entities
will participate in the informal session: China, France, Germany, Greece,
Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, South
Africa, United States, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs,
United Nations Office for Project Services, United Nations Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Secretariat for the
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Environment Programme,
United Nations Institute for Training and Research, United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Civil
Aviation Organization and World Meteorological Organization.

The United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities convenes
annually to discuss the coordination of and cooperation in current and
future activities, and to report to the United Nations Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) implements the
decisions of the General Assembly and of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses
of Outer Space and its two Subcommittees, the Scientific and Technical
Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee. The Office is responsible for
promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space,
and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology.
Located in Vienna, Austria, OOSA maintains a website at
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org.

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