Outer Space: Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, 63rd session, 1039th meeting

All right. Good morning, distinguished delegates. I now declare open the 10,039— I'm sorry, 1,039th meeting of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space. Distinguished delegates, this morning we will continue our consideration of Agenda Item 4, the General Exchange of Views We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of Agenda Item 6 on the space debris. Then we will begin and hopefully conclude our consideration on Agenda Item 7 on the space system-based disaster management support. If the time permits, we will begin and hopefully conclude our consideration of Agenda Item 8 on the recent developments in the Global Navigation Satellite System. This morning we will have 4 technical presentations. Delegates, it's a reminder that the full schedule of technical presentations is available on the session webpage. Are there any questions or comments on this proposed schedule?

Thank you.

Okay, I see none. Distinguished delegates, I would now like to continue our consideration of item number 4 of our agenda on general exchange of views. I now turn to the list of speakers. The first speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Poland. Poland, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, on behalf of the delegation of Poland, I would like to express our appreciation to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs for its continued support to the work of COPUOS and its subcommittees. We highly value the dedication of the UNOSA Director, Ms. Arti Holomaini, and the Secretariat, and their contribution to fostering international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. We thank Ms. Ulpia Elena Botezatu, for skillfully guiding our work during the period 2024-2025, and we wish you, Mr. Chair, success in the conduct of current session and would like to ensure you about the support of our delegation. My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union. Poland shares the European Union's commitment to multilateralism, the promotion of responsible and sustainable activities in outer space, and the effective implementation of the COPUOS Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines and the Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. We also joined the EU and several other Member States in their condemnation of Russian unprovoked and illegal aggression against Ukraine, and in expression of our full support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Mr. Chair, Poland continues to strengthen its engagement in space activities at both the European and international levels. Our cooperation with the European Space Agency remains a cornerstone of national space development. At the ESA Council of Ministers level held in November 2025, Poland significantly increased its financial contribution to European Space Agency's programs for the current 3-year period to nearly €550 million euro. This step reflects our strong commitment to the development of space technologies, innovation, and industrial competitiveness. In recent years, Poland has concluded several important agreements with ESA, including arrangements supporting the development of the Polish space sector, training opportunities, for young professionals and cooperation on satellite systems. In particular, the agreement on a Polish Earth observation satellite constellation will enable Polish industry to develop advanced competences in satellite manufacturing and system integration, while also ensuring access to high-resolution Earth observation data. Mr. Chair, Poland attaches particular importance to the advancement of space technologies through international cooperation. In this context, Poland wishes to inform the subcommittee about the successful completion of the Ignis technological and scientific mission to the International Space Station conducted from 25th of June to 15th July 2025. During this mission, ESA project astronaut Swawosz Uznajski-Wisniewski became the 2nd Polish citizen to travel into space and the first to take part in an International Space Station expedition. The mission constituted an important milestone for the Polish space sector and provided a valuable opportunity to demonstrate and validate technologies developed by Polish scientific institutions and industry, contributing to Europe's overall technological capabilities. A total of 13 Polish experiments were carried out on board the International Space Station. These experiments focused on advancing scientific knowledge and maturing technologies relevant to long-duration human missions, autonomous operations, and biotechnological applications. These activities support the development of key technologies for future exploration architectures, including autonomous systems, sustainable life support solutions, and advanced health monitoring capabilities. The outcomes of the IGNIS mission are expected to contribute to enhanced resilience of electronic systems, for use in Earth orbit and beyond, improved onboard data processing and mission autonomy, and also progress in space-related biotechnology and space medicine. Mr. Chair, the end of November 2025 will go down in history for Polish achievements in space exploration. On the night of November 28th-29th, 5 Polish satellites were launched into orbit, providing both the military and civilian authorities with new, sharper eyes for observing Earth. These include a microSAR radar satellite from the Polish-Finnish company ICEYE, 3 nanosatellites from the Piast programme, and the SatRev nanosatellite. Equipped with synthetic aperture radar, the MicroSAR satellite allows for day and night observations. This enables precise detection of objects and changes in the terrain regardless of the weather. On November 22nd, the Polish suborbital sounding rocket Perun successfully completed its 3rd test flight. This is the largest Polish suborbital rocket developed by engineers from the company Space Forest. Importantly, Polish scientists had the opportunity to conduct research on a domestically produced rocket during the launch and suborbital flight phases. Mr. Chair, Poland remains firmly committed to the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, to strengthening international cooperation and to contributing constructively to the work of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee. We are convinced that space is a common heritage of humankind and that only through mutual understanding and joint action we can ensure that the benefits of space activities are shared by all. I thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I thank the distinguished Delegates of Poland for his presentation. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Guatemala. Guatemala, you have the floor.

Gracias, señor Presidente.

Thank you, Chair. My delegation would like to express its recognition for the way in which you are leading this 63rd session of the subcommittee, and we reiterate our full support for the success of our work. We would also like I would also like to thank the Director, Arti Holomaini, the Secretariat team, and the staff of UNUSA for their detailed preparations for this session. Guatemala welcomes the new members of COPPOS, whose joining strengthens the inclusive nature of this forum and highlights the importance of multilateral cooperation for the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space. And we associate ourselves to the statement made by G77 and China, and we would like to make the following comments in our national capacity. Guatemala reaffirms the importance of international cooperation as the central axis for the development of inclusive and sustainable space capacity, and we are grateful to UN-USA for its initiatives that have enabled developing countries to have access to outer space and its benefits. In this regard, we would like to highlight some of the recent progress made by Guatemala in space initiatives that have a high scientific and social impact. Since the launch of Quetzal-1 satellite in 2020, Guatemala has continued to strengthen its national capacity— national space capacity, with growing emphasis on the application of space science and technology for sustainable development. Within this framework, The Aerospace Laboratory of the Valle University in Guatemala is currently developing the Quetzal-2 satellite. This will contribute to the training of human talent and strengthening our national technology research. This has been possible thanks to the cooperation of the export program of ExoLaunch and UNUSA. In 2025, Guatemala corn seeds, including native species of high cultural and biological value, were sent to the International Space Station to take part in microgravity research. This project is a milestone for our country because it links space science to food security, crop resilience, and adapting to climate change, which are really important for developing countries. Equally, Guatemala has made a significant step forward in strengthening Earth observation with the Copernicus Academy, as well as the establishment of the National Committee for the Copernicus Academy. This coordinates national and international efforts to promote the use of satellite data in the management of natural resources, environmental monitoring, and disaster risk reduction. Guatemala reiterates the value of UN-SPIDER in strengthening national capacities for disaster management, and we reaffirm our support to the proposal to establish a regional office in Latin America, convinced that this will provide a more effective and timely response to emergencies. Equally, we welcome consultations underway regarding another Unispace conference in 2027. And we highlight that this should be an opportunity to boost participation and promote the interests of developing countries in order to ensure that the exploration and use of outer space will be exclusively for peaceful purposes and to the benefit of all countries. countries, regardless of their level of scientific and economic development, in a spirit of international cooperation and multilateralism. Finally, Guatemala reaffirms its commitment to the peaceful, secure, and sustainable use of outer space and will continue to promote international cooperation and equitable access to space technologies as essential instruments for sustainable development. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Guatemala for his report. Thank you very much. The next speaker in my list is the distinguished representative of Iraq. Iraq, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

My delegation would like to extend its wholehearted congratulations to you, Mr. Chair, and we assure you of our support to your efforts during your leadership of the STSC. Also, we would like to thank Ms. Artihola Maini, the Director of UNUSA, as well as all the Secretariat staff for their efforts. towards the success of this session. We would like to reiterate the support of the government of my country to this subcommittee, which always works on bridging the space technological gap between advanced and developing countries, as the latter usually need those technologies for their— for peaceful uses and to cater for various societal needs.

Mr.

Chair, peaceful space technology and applications in different fields continuously evolve as countries attach great importance to the investment of this technology towards socioeconomic development. And Iraq reiterates its full commitment to the peaceful uses of outer space, together with promoting scientific research and harnessing space technology as a pillar of economic growth and sustainable development. And we view outer space space as a strategic source to support national security, national resource management, disaster response, environmental protection, and digital transformation. And we attach special importance to space situational awareness, as it's very important for space assets safety, reduction of space debris, promoting transparency and trust amongst countries. Over the last few years, we have witnessed quantum leap in the capacity building of Iraq by launching the Tigrisat, which is an educational satellite, as well as the construction of a national ground station to track satellites, in addition to our active cooperation with UN programs including UNOSA. And those efforts have contributed to promoting technical competencies and developing institutional infrastructure. We would like to shed some light on the activities of Iraq related to outer space as well as its peaceful uses. First, the Space Technologies and Research Center continues to coordinate with academic institutions and research institutions at the international and national levels in many fields, including remote sensing, satellite imagery processing, and relevant orbital technologies. Secondly, we are implementing a number of training courses and workshops to build capacities of professionals in the design and launching of small satellites, as well as space space communication technology. We are currently working on building a national space agency, which will be mainly concerned with organizing Iraqi space activities and promoting the infrastructure for space research and coordination of international cooperation. The Space Technology and Research Center is currently working on researches regarding prototypes for Earth stations and Earth observation. As We are cognizant of the challenges that are faced by emerging spacefaring nations. That's why we are looking forward to international cooperation with member states and international organizations, especially with UNOSA, through capacity-building programs related to design and launching of civil satellites, knowledge and technology transfer, and equipping laboratories and other technical facilities with for satellite tests, in addition to the exchange of expertise when it comes to space situational awareness and LTS, by building capacities and creating and facilitating access to high-resolution space imagery platforms. This would eventually enable Iraqi ministries and institutions to benefit from, uh, to, to benefit from these imageries and these activities in developing the urban and agricultural and environmental sectors. We, um, our space vision is underpinned by our commitment to international law and UN-related documents. Also, we believe in the— that the outer space is a common heritage of humankind. Having said that, we are working on a number of future projects. First, launching the Iraqi space program, creating a national platform to analyze space data, and employing same in disaster management, climate change, agriculture, and water management. Iraq is also engaged in capacity building and upskilling, including by promoting international cooperation and developing the national legal and institutional frameworks according to the best international best practices and standards. We are also encouraging private sector and innovation.

Thank you, Mr.

I thank the distinguished representative of Iraq for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Peru. Peru, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair. On behalf of the delegation of Peru, we would like to thank you and express our support for you as you chair this 63rd session of the STSC. We are sure that with your leadership, the works of this subcommittee will take place constructively and efficiently. We would also like to thank the Director of UN-USA, Arti Holomaini, and her team for organizing this meeting and their permanent work in favor of the peaceful use of outer space and the implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Our country endorses the statement made by G77 and China, and in our national capacity, we would like to highlight the following. Peru was one of the pioneer states in our region when it joined the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, as well as the other international treaties that constitute the international legal framework for space, instruments which continue to be the cornerstone today. Our country has developed its space activities exclusively for peaceful purposes, and we believe it is essential to strengthen confidence, consensus, and international cooperation in order to guarantee equitable access to the benefits of outer space. Within this cooperation framework, we would like to highlight that our space agency, CONIDA, will continue to operate the PeruSat-1 satellite, which will soon be 10 years old. This is an essential tool for territorial management, disaster prevention and attention, and a way to sustainably develop our country. We are currently working on improving this capacity with a new satellite system. We carry out this work in alignment with International activities, international space activities to guarantee sustainability. In this context, in August 2025, Peru Space Agency launched the GeoApp Conida platform. This is a national instrument that will enable using institutions to access satellite imaging processing services from the cloud. This platform. Basically uses data from PeruSat-1 and aims to eliminate barriers to the use of these technologies. GeoApp CONIDA includes advanced processing tools and artificial intelligence algorithms, which among other things allow us to rapidly detect bodies of water and deforested areas, providing timely and reliable information for strategic decision-making. Its design also enables us to access from anywhere, including in the field, which means that regional governments, local governments, and environmental agencies can use it without requiring expensive technological infrastructure. The platform therefore improves environmental management, territorial planning, and risk disaster management. It is a key instrument for the sustainable development of our country. At multilateral level, Peru is observing with concern the financial limitations suffered by the United Nations, especially UN-USA, we highlight the importance of ensuring that these restrictions do not affect capacity-building activities, especially in developing countries. In this regard, we consider it is essential to adopt all necessary measures to ensure that COPWA's meetings and those of its subcommittees take place in the most efficient and effective way possible whilst these financial constraints continue. Chair, in these times of uncertainty when international cooperation can be undermined, Peru reaffirms its commitment to the peaceful, responsible, and sustainable use of outer space to the benefit of all of humanity. We reiterate our willingness to continue actively contributing to COPUSS and its subcommittees in order to strengthen international cooperation and guarantee that space activities will benefit present and future generations. Finally, we would like to highlight that Peru will be organizing on the 13th and 14th of May, 2026, the 4th workshop on the Artemis Accords, which aim to work on the principles of cooperation and exploration of celestial bodies. This work is being shared with COPUS transparently. The organization of this workshop is proof of our commitment as an emerging country to participating in multilateral debates on the governance of outer space, and we extend a cordial invitation to all signatory states to accompany us in Lima for this important event. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Peru for her statements. The next speaker in my list— on my list is the distinguished Delegate from the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair.

Muy buenos días.

Good morning. The Dominican Republic would like to begin by congratulating you and your team for your work, and we wish you every success at this session. We're also grateful to Arti Holomainit, Director of UNUSA, and congratulate her on her work. Promoting international cooperation in space and ensuring that the benefits of space technologies reach all countries, especially developing ones such as ours. The Dominican Republic endorses the statement made by G77 and China, and we welcome the new members Honduras, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Maldives, and Malta. We'd like to highlight the role of COPWAS and its 2 subcommittees as the main UN forum for promoting promotion of international cooperation in outer space, and it is something that can transform sustainable development. Chair, we'd like to recall that space technologies are essential in key areas such as natural disasters, agriculture, and food security. If we take into account different geographic profiles, such as in our country with earthquakes and other natural disasters. We believe that space technology can help us respond better. We are a small island developing state that is having to face climate change. The Dominican Republic would like to highlight the initiatives of COPUS to boost the capacity of developing states, and we believe that Everything necessary should be done to guarantee equitable access. Chair, we would now like to refer to the regulation of access to outer space. The Dominican Republic believes we have to have international rules to prevent the proliferation of space debris, rules that protect the space environment, and to ensure that space is accessible for the whole of humanity. Regarding education, For our country, it is an essential pillar of our strategy to make progress in the space sphere. We believe we have to foster training in space sciences for our young people and strengthen cooperation between universities and institutions at national and international level. We are grateful for the opportunities provided by UNOOSA, such as capacity-building programs, scholarships, and access to satellite data. Thank you. The Dominican Republic would like to highlight the importance of extending opportunities to strengthen scientific, academic, and technical links. We also believe there has to be closer cooperation between national and international space institutes, especially those in developing countries. We believe that these exchanges are essential to consolidate capacities, foster joint research and move equitably towards an inclusive space ecosystem. Regarding ATLAS, our country welcomes the debates of the action team ATLAS, as well as continuation of consultations on the proposal to hold Unispace 4 in 2027. This would allow us to make decisions or reach key recommendations on scientific and legal questions linked to space, make progress in space governance, and use space in order to achieve Agenda 2030. Thank you.

Thank the distinguished delegates of the Dominican Republic for her statements. We will continue our consideration of Agenda Item 4 on the General Exchange of Views in this afternoon. Distinguished delegates, I would now like to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of Agenda Item 6 on Space Debate. The first speaker on my list is the distinguished representative China. China, you have the floor.

Mr.

Chair, distinguished delegates, with the more increasing vehicles in space, this issue has become very serious. China has consistently attached great importance to the issue of space debris. We provide sustained support for dedicated space service research program, promote the transition of space debris response technologies into engineering applications, strengthen space mitigation management in current restandardization efforts, and actively engage in international cooperation, exchange, and information sharing. First, China has continued to advance space debris research and capacity-building efforts. In 2025, several dedicated space debris observation telescopes were newly employed, enabling sustained monitoring of debris-populated regions in LEO, as well as space debris in medium and high Earth orbits, and providing data on the orbital mission and physical characteristics characteristics of space debris. In-depth research has been conducted on new data processing methods based on observation of faint space debris, significantly improving detection success rates and data processing accuracy. These methods were effectively applied to the analysis of multiple onboard disintegration events in 2025. China also has developed and released spacecraft survivability access assessment software, which has been applied to evaluate onboard survivability of multiple spacecraft. In parallel, China has continued research on various space debris removal approaches and has carried out ground-based experimental validation and onboard flight tests of low-cost and passive debris removal technologies. Second, China has continued its efforts to improve regulation and standard framework for space debris mitigation. China actively promotes implementation of the UN Registration Convention and China's measures for the related subject. All Chinese space objects launched in 2024 have been registered, and work is going on both domestic and international registration of spacecraft launched in 2025. China continues to advance revisions to relevant space debris mitigation policies and regulations, introducing more stringent requirements for mitigation plans, And measures for spacecraft and launch vehicles, with more detail on quantitative review processes. In support of the implementation of these policies and regulations, 6 national standards on space debris enter into force in 2025. Additional related national standards under active development, and China is strengthening communication with international standardization bodies to further promote alignment between Chinese standards and international standards. Third, China has conducted space debris observation monitoring activities by coordinating domestic and international telescope resources. China has carried out long-term continuous monitoring space debris in medium and high Earth orbits, supporting response to space events such as close approaches, onboard disintegration, and joint reentry observation campaigns. Timely tracking observations have been conducted for high-risk conjunction objects, identified through collision warning assessment, providing data support for conjectural analysis and collision avoidance maneuver decision-making. Continuous observation of fragmentation events have yielded extensive debris datasets, datasets enabling advanced reconstruction and evolution analysis. Fourth, China has actively participated in international cooperation on space debris. The Chinese government has continued to engage in the work of IADC, including activities related to space debris mitigation guidelines, statements on large constellations, and studies on long-term evolution models. China has initiated action project entitled Analysis of Reentry Data and Prediction Errors within IADC WG-2. Under the framework of OPSCO, China, together with other member states, have actively carried out cooperative research, training, and exchanges on space debris and long-term sustainability of outer space activities, as well as telescope observation, China's actively coordinated the data sharing and cooperation. Chair, the subcommittee of COPUS has played an important role in space debris governance. China stands ready to engage in broader international exchanges and cooperation in the field of space debris, to deepen collaboration with partners worldwide, and to actively contribute Chinese expertise and capabilities towards joint efforts to maintain a clean outer space environment. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of China for his statements. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom, you have the floor.

Chair, distinguished delegates, the delegation of the United Kingdom is pleased to have the opportunity to share with you the progress and developments on the topic of space debris that we've made since the last meeting of this subcommittee. The UK Space Agency, and in particular our chief engineer Andrew Ratcliffe, has had the distinct honor to serve as the current chair of the Interagency Space Debris Coordination Committee, IADC. The IADC consists of 13 member space agencies and 3 associate members from across the globe who coordinate their research into space debris and use this to develop key outputs. The outputs from the IADC serve to inform the global space community on changes in the environment and identify methods to reduce the long-term environmental impacts of global space activity, such as the IADC Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines. Last year, the IADC welcomed 2 new associate members The Spanish Space Agency and the Australian Space Agency, who join the New Zealand Space Agency as associate members to the committee. The United Kingdom is pleased to announce that the IADC has released for this session its 4th annual report on the status of the space debris environment in conference room paper A/AC.105/C.1. Thank you, Mr. To provide further insights into the work of the IADC and elements included in the report, the IADC has a technical presentation with the title Interagency Space Debris Coordination Committee, IADC, Role, Organization, and Outlook on 11th of February at this session. To support the United Kingdom's consideration of future potential policy and technology development which may impact how we manage space debris, the United Kingdom has supported research into the impact of the atmospheric ablation of spacecraft upon reentry on the atmosphere. We wish to thank the director of UNUSA and her team for the insightful workshop with the United Nations Office for Environmental Protection mid-last year and congratulate the UNUSA team on the publication of the issues note on the environmental impacts of space activities. We look forward to contributing further into this research area. In May 2024, the United Kingdom launched its National Space Operations Center, NSPOC, led by the UK Space Agency and UK Space Command in partnership with the Met Office. NSPOC combines civil and military space domain awareness capabilities to monitor and protect against space-related threats, risks, and hazards to ensure safe— space remains safe, secure, and sustainable. Nspot combines UK government operators and international partners, a range of services including uncontrolled reentry early warning, fragmentation monitoring, and in-space collision avoidance protection. The United Kingdom welcomes the initiation of the Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness being chaired by the United Arab Emirates. The expert group is a critical multilateral activity to advance areas such as the standards needed to effectively share data between regional safety centers, provide access to timely and reliable spacecraft contact information, and raise awareness of regional approaches taken to put— to the prevention of collisions. The United Kingdom's delegation looks forward to providing opportunities for its government and private sector experts to engage in the expert group across its proposed work plan, and we look forward to the expert group developing practical solutions to the growing challenges in ensuring space safety. Alongside prevention and mitigation, remediation of space debris presents an important tool to reduce the risk of collision on orbit. The United Kingdom is currently in the procurement phase for a national active debris removal mission. The mission is designed to demonstrate national capability to rendezvous, dock, and deorbit 2 unprepared, uncooperative UK-licensed satellites. The mission's aims to tackle the growing threat of space debris and support the development of the UK's ISAM sector and regulatory environment. Moreover, the UK has been leading an innovative rendezvous and Proximity Operations Regulatory Sandbox to stress test our regulatory framework, improve regulatory clarity, and strengthen the UK's capability to enable RPO missions— rendezvous and proximity operations missions. Space debris and our ability to maintain a safe and sustainable space environment continues to be a key area of work for the UK Space Agency, and we look forward to contributing discussions on this topic further at this session. Thank you, Chair.

I'd like to thank the distinguished delegation from the United Kingdom for his statement. The next presenter— the next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Colombia. Colombia, you have the floor.

Gracias.

Thank you, Chair, and good morning. Chair, aside from the statement made by G77 and China, Colombia would like to make the following comments in its national capacity. The proliferation of space debris is a threat not just to orbital assets but also the essential services that have an impact on the daily life of communities. Dealing with the problems of space debris is essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space for future generations and to guarantee the safety of space assets. And it is therefore important that all states act together to solve the problems linked to this question. That is why we believe it is necessary to increase cooperation among countries with well-established space capacity and emerging countries in the space sector in order to obtain lessons learned from research, knowledge transfer, and exchange of data, information, and analysis methods on space situational awareness. Chair, with a global— an increasing global agenda on space sustainability, Colombia would like to highlight the need to make multilateral progress in regulations that limit or that mitigate space debris. We are concerned about the increase in space debris and urge all parties to find scalable, sustainable, and transparent solutions to this problem, promoting the establishment of international rules which will penalize those responsible for bad practices, whether they are public or private. Stakeholders. We also call for action to continue with the sustainable use of outer space through the reduction in space debris so there is no harmful pollution or unfavorable changes in the environment. Colombia does not have a robust space industry, which makes it dependent on foreign satellites for communications, agriculture, environmental management and climate monitoring. We don't have our own infrastructure for monitoring and management of space debris. That makes us depend on international bodies such as the UN and cooperation with foreign space agencies. However, we acknowledge that the sustained increase in artificial objects in orbit is one of the main risks for the long-term sustainability of space activities, and therefore we have participated actively in the analysis and monitoring of the re-entry of objects from space to Earth, contributing to the awareness of the space— of space in general. Colombia, through its Space Operations Center, is part of a network of space surveillance which provides data to this space situational awareness to avoid collisions and to reduce the amount of space debris generate in outer space. Domestically, with Law 2302 from 2023, which regulates our space activities, we are protecting the environment through the sustainable use of outer space, through the reduction of space debris, so there is no damaging pollution in our environment or any unfavorable changes. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Colombia for her report. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Brazil. Brazil, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, Brazil attaches great importance to the long-term sustainability of our space activities and reaffirms its national space operations are conducted in accordance with the principles and guidelines adopted by this committee. Brazil has developed a comprehensive and integrated approach to space safety and sustainability in which space situational awareness, debris mitigation, risk assessment, and institutional coordination are recognized as an essential enabler of responsible behavior, operational safety, and long-term access to space. This approach is now formally embedded in Brazil's national legal framework. In 2024, Brazil enacted its General Law on Space Activities, which establishes the respective roles of the civil and defense space authorities, provides for authorization and continuous supervision of space activities, requires debris mitigation and risk management measures, and creates mechanisms for interagency coordination and transparency. Through this law, Brazil has internalized several core principles of the LTS guidelines into its domestic governance structure and has designated the Brazilian Air Force as the national authority for space defense activities. A central pillar of this strategy is the creation of the Space Operations Center and the Space Engineering Center at the Air Force Institute of Technology, which together provide a portfolio covering satellite operations, Acquisition, research, advanced training, and infrastructure development in critical space technologies. Brazil is implementing the Laboratory for, for the Monitoring of Space Objects, strengthening national capacity to detect, track, and characterize objects in orbit. This capability is further expanded through Project SMOE, aimed at the development and acquisition of systems for space surveillance and tracking in low Earth orbit, reinforcing Brazil's ability to assess conjunction risks and support collision avoidance. These initiatives are supported by a growing national sensor network enabling satellite command and control, data reception, operator training, and the generation of orbital data relevant to space traffic management. In addition to the defense-led architecture, Brazil's civilian satellite operator, the National Institute for Space Research, INPE, applies operational procedures consistent with the LTS guidelines. INPE currently operates 5 satellites, all conceived to comply with internationally recognized debris mitigation practices, including the capability to perform controlled reentry within 25 years after end of life. This national effort is further complemented by the National Laboratory for Astrophysics, Astrophysics, which operates optical telescopes and conducts research related to space debris monitoring and mitigation. Brazil's operational experience highlights a systemic challenge that goes beyond individual national practices: the absence of a mechanism for advanced coordination of maneuvers among active operators. This challenge is particularly relevant for operators that rely on limited communication windows. In Brazil's case, satellite contact are restricted to antennas located within national territory, with gaps that prevent real-time reactions. For this reason, access to advanced maneuver planning information is becoming an essential element for sustainable and safe operations. Through these initiatives, Brazil seeks not only to protect its own space assets, but also to contribute to transparency, predictability, and international cooperation. The next step for the International community is not only to improve detection and tracking, but also to develop cooperative mechanisms that enable responsible behavior in orbit while respecting different national arrangements and capabilities. In this regard, we also welcome the recent establishment of the Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness, which will enable us to advance concrete and technical solutions for the safety and sustainability of outer space. Brazil remains committed to the LTS process as an inclusive and pragmatic framework capable of strengthening confidence, reducing risks, and preserving outer space for present and future generations. I thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Brazil for his statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Indonesia. Indonesia, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Indonesia considers space debris a significant technical challenge to the safety and long-term sustainability of outer space activities. As an equatorial nation with strategic interests in the geostationary orbit region, Indonesia emphasizes the need to manage the space environment responsibly, in line with the mandate of the COPUS and the LTS guidelines. Since 2022, Indonesia has actively observed space debris using national observatory facilities. To date, Indonesia has successfully observed 7 geostationary orbit objects, including the Palapa satellite. Indonesia has completed preliminary characterization, including basic attitude and rotational behavior. Indonesia is progressively expanding these efforts to include low Earth orbit as part of a comprehensive approach to enhancing space situational awareness. To further enhance the accuracy and reliability of these observations, Indonesia is progressively strengthening routine and automated monitoring systems, including the development of advanced robotic observation capabilities. In this regard, we welcome international cooperation, including technical training, technology transfer, and real-time data-sharing partnerships to strengthen national low-Earth orbit satellite and debris monitoring capabilities. Indonesia reaffirms our commitment to the responsible management of the space environment and welcomes opportunities for enhanced international collaboration to ensure that outer space remains sustainable and peaceful for future generations. We look forward to working collectively with the international community to address these challenges ahead and to advance our common goals. Thank you, Chair.

I would like to thank the distinguished representative of Indonesia for her statements. So the next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of The Russian Federation. The Russian Federation, you have the floor, please.

Thank you very much, Chairman. Objects of human-generated space debris have a serious negative impact on the safety of space operations. The source of this problem are technologies for production and operation of spacecraft, as well as various incidents which lead to their breakup in orbit. We could say that the phenomenon of space debris is a collateral negative effect that comes along with space activities. In this regard, we see 2 approaches which could assist us in resolving the task of mitigation of space debris. The first will be preventive. It includes the improvement of technologies for the design, manufacturing, and operation of space technologies. Using technologies which lessen the formation of space waste during launch and placement in orbit of useful payloads, as well as the recycling of spent devices, will significantly slow down the rise in the number of objects, which usually we call space debris. However, even the most state-of-the-art technologies for manufacturing and operation of space devices will not fully solve the problem because there will always be a chance that new objects of space debris will form due to unplanned events— for an example, collisions and damage. All delegations agreed that as an additional measure, we'd also need to consider the matter of using various methodologies for the removal active removal of objects of so-called space debris from outer space. And here we have 2 aspects to consider: technological and legal. It's hard to agree with a number of colleagues who assert that space debris should include all non-functioning spacecraft. We would like to recall that as per norms of international space law, non-functioning objects, as well as their parts and components, are space objects which fall under the jurisdiction of the launching state or the registering state, even if their owner is a legal person or company. It is only with the permission of the owner and the official notification from the registering state a space object can be moved to the category of objects of space debris. This is like any ordinary object. Reclassification as an object of space debris means that the owner renounces its material and immaterial rights to the object. While just as the registering state retaining liability for improper reuse of the object and possible damage to third persons. This being the case, our delegation has consistently urgently advocated for the need to craft universal legally sound concepts— conceptual framework. Seeking best methods for mitigation of space debris required working— requires working together of technical and legal experts. This is the reason we think it necessary to bring together the forces of the STSC and the LSE into a single working group group of the committee. We would also like to express our gratitude to our colleagues from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the conduct of the series of scientific conferences on this matter. It was unfortunate that due to circumstances outside of our control, we couldn't participate in the last of the conference in January. Allow us, though, to share our ideas regarding mitigation of space debris for the 11 months of 2025.

Yes.

17,882 space objects ceased to exist. 59.7% of them were no longer functioning spacecraft. We would like to note that 34.7% of them were fragments of space debris and operational launch elements, and 5.6% rocket launcher stages and upper stages. 16 were geostationary space objects which were deorbited in fully in line with existing requirements. When large objects are deorbited in an uncontrolled manner, they create a risk— the so-called at-risk space objects, which can hit the Earth, leading to damage at crash sites. We saw that over the 11 months of 2025, 164 such objects ceased to exist. Given the above, we think particular attention should be paid to crafting global norms for space traffic management. This includes, as to prevent dangerous situations in outer space. Broadening numbers of space actors, as well as mega-satellite constellations in near-Earth orbits, increase risk for collisions and unintentional release of new fragments of space debris. Crafting a regulatory framework and then a single international system for coordination and/or management of space traffic, including standardization of maneuvers for rapprochements, will be key for the long-term sustainability and safety of outer space activities.

Thank you.

We think that the committee should also take in most serious into account the report regarding space debris mitigation prepared by the Interagency Committee on Space Debris. It is a very professionally drawn-up report. We also welcome the creation of an expert group on space situational awareness. We think it will make a significant contribution to the committee's work. We stand ready to actively work on this matter.

Chair, colleagues, Thank you, Mr. President.

As I have the floor, may I just take a few seconds of your attention? We would like, with deep regret, to note that in a number of statements of delegations, we heard political attacks on one state, including allegations of the intentional use of ballistic technologies for the launch of satellites. Dear friends, colleagues, let us stick to the subject at hand. In any launch, even if you use ballistic technologies, ballistics is a is a science proper, and thus let us not just read out statements that have been prepared for us, but rather delve into the concepts before us. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation for his statements. So the next speaker on my list is the distinguished delegate India. India, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Recognizes space debris as one of the most critical challenges to the safety and sustainability of outer space activities and remains committed to adhering to the internationally recognized norms of space debris mitigation, namely the UN COPA Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines and IADC guidelines. Chair, the ISRO system for safe and sustainable Space Operations Management, with acronym of AS4OM, has been operationalized to synergize the nation's effort to cope with space debris risk and regularly carries out activities such as close approach risk assessment for space missions and atmospheric reentry analysis. Space object proximity analysis is carried out to assess and mitigate close approach risk to operational satellites during the— operational satellites during the year 2025, a total of 17 collision avoidance maneuvers were performed for Indian Earth-orbiting spacecraft. Close approach risks between 2 active satellites are resolved by interoperator coordination wherever necessary. Similar practices of close approach analysis are also followed for Chandrayaan mission and Aditya-L1. For all Indian launches, collision avoidance with acronym Kola, assessments are performed to ensure safe collision-free liftoff times within the designated launch windows. For the recent LVM-3 M6 Bluebird mission, the liftoff was delayed by 41 seconds to avoid potential close approach with the resident space objects. Chair, further, in order to minimize the risk of post-mission accidental breakup risk of different upper stages of launch vehicles and consequent debris creation, all upper stages of Indian launch vehicle missions are always passivated by removing excess propellant at the end of mission. Another notable effort is the post-mission disposal of the IRNSS-1D satellite, which was raised to a graveyard orbit nearly 600 kilometers above the geostationary belt and passivated. While relocating, relocating geostationary satellites to super-synchronous super-synchronous orbits at end of mission has been a regular practice in ISRO. This is the first ever disposal of an Indian satellite operating in an inclined geosynchronous orbit. Chair, the establishing dedicated facilities is in progress under the Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis, or with synonym NETRA project, to strengthen space debris observational capabilities and contribute to the global efforts for enhanced spaceflight safety. The existing Multi-Object Tracking Radar, with acronym MOTR, facility in Sriharikota is capable of tracking space objects in low Earth orbit. In a first, a relocatable robotic arm and a robotic manipulator were successfully demonstrated on the PoEM-4 platform as a precursor to space robotics technologies for debris capture and in-orbiting servicing. Chair, India actively participates in the deliberations related to the space debris in international fora like Interagency Space Debris Coordination Committee, International Academy of Astronautics Space Debris Working Group, International Astronautic Federation Space Traffic Management Subcommittee, ISO Working Group 7, and UN Working Group on Long-Term Sustainable ability to provide relevant inputs. We conclude by emphasizing that technical challenges notwithstanding the current space debris situation demands voluntary adoption of mitigation practices by all spacefaring entities to collectively tackle the growing menace of space debris. Thank you, distinguished chair and delegates, for your kind attention.

I thank the distinguished delegates from India for your statements. So the next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea. The Republic of Korea, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Chair. The Republic of Korea acknowledges space debris as a critical challenge that directly impacts the safety of space operations and the long-term sustainability of outer space. Addressing the issue of space debris requires more than just national efforts. It demands comprehensive international cooperation encompassing vital areas such as observation, data sharing, risk mitigation, and the implementation of relevant guidelines. The Republic of Korea highly values the pivotal role of COPUSS in addressing space debris issue. As a central platform for coordinating international dialogue, COPUSS fosters the development of shared approaches to space debris. The committee plays a crucial role in promoting responsible behavior in outer space and strengthening international cooperation on this issue. As a responsible member of the international community, the Republic of Korea is committed to actively engaging in international cooperation. We are fully committed to contributing to the ongoing discussions and implementation of international guidelines. We will continue to support collective efforts that aim to ensure the safety and sustainability of the space environment. In this regard, the Republic of Korea is progressively developing a national framework to respond to space debris. Ground-based optical observation networks are used to monitor space objects and assess collision and re-entry risks. Notably, the Optical Wide Field Patrol Network operated by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute is instrumental in these efforts. We are also advancing the development of space-based space surveillance capabilities. This includes the deployment of optical monitoring systems for enhanced observation of objects in medium Earth orbit, as well as the establishment of space-based surveillance infrastructure. Furthermore, we are working towards the establishment of an integrated space situational awareness framework through the development of the National SSA platform. The system will integrate satellite orbital information with surveillance data from ground and space-based assets. In closing, the Republic of of Korea remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing the issue of space debris on both domestic and global fronts.

Thank you.

I'd like to thank the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea for her statements. My next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Panama. Panama, you have the floor, please.

Good morning. Good morning, everyone. Chair, Panama supports the statement made by G77 and China and would like to add the following in its national capacity on the subject of space debris. Panama considers that the proliferation of space debris is one of the most serious and pressing risks to the safety and security of space operations and the sustainability of the orbital environment. The mitigation and prevention of new space debris is not an isolated technical issue. It's a tech— it's a practical requirement for space to continue to be accessible for all current and future states. In this regard, Panama supports the guides for the mitigation of space debris and the guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer space. And we reaffirm that their implementation should contribute to reduce the risks of collision, fragmentation, and uncontrolled reentries, thus preserving the stability of the orbital environment. Environment. Panama supports international cooperation on space situational awareness and collision avoidance measures as indispensable tools to reduce the risks of events that multiply debris and exacerbate orbital congestion. In practice, sustainability is not decreed. It is built with data coordination and operational procedures. That enable us to anticipate and avoid collisions or disasters. In this— along these lines, Panama is interested in strengthening multilateral technical work on space situational awareness and the exchange of information for space safety and sustainability. Panama would like to highlight that in 2023, as part of its international commitments, it joined the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, strengthening its framework for obligations and cooperation in the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space. Panama is also party to the Liability Convention, which is directly applicable when damage is caused by space objects, including debris. Panama would like to highlight that those agreements include explicit commitments to plan the mitigation of orbital debris, including passivation and safe and timely disposal at the end of the mission. As well as the limitation of new damaging space debris and long life cycles. At national level, we now have a National Secretariat for Space Technology and Innovation, and this is introducing space regulations in line with good practices. We believe a modern regulatory framework should include criteria for orbital sustainability and, when appropriate, debris mitigation plans from the design and operation phase, end-of-life measures— that's disposal, removal from orbit, or transfer to graveyard orbits— good passivation practices to avoid explosions and collision risk management, including coordination and exchange of information. We believe in the value of technical and academic capacity, and we now have outreach activities at Panama's Technological University, including specific content on space debris. We understand that orbital sustainability does not just require political will but also human capital able to have technical dialogues and to participate in cooperation initiatives. We believe that the international community has to have a practical, inclusive, cooperation-based approach acknowledging the differential capacities of states. We agree on the need to strengthen access to technologies, methodologies, and tools to measure, monitor, and describe debris and other space objects, as well as the exchange of space situational awareness data. This is especially true for developing countries and those with emerging capacity. Panama would like to reiterate its commitment to transparency, information exchange, capacity building, and international cooperation to guarantee safe, sustainable, accessible space for all. And we are very much ready to participate constructively in the work of this subcommittee on space debris. Thank you.

I'd like to thank the distinguished representative of Panama for his statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Islamic Republic of Iran. Islamic Republic of Iran, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My delegation aligns itself with the statement of JCM in China and wishes to make the following in its national capacity. Distinguished Chair and delegates, today space activities are conducted in an environment where, according to certain estimates, more than 1 million pieces of space debris larger than 1 centimeter are orbiting the Earth. This rapidly growing population has become a serious threat to the continuation and sustainable utilization of the vastest province of mankind. In recent years, although the number of space launches and the number of satellites in Earth orbit by leading spacefaring nations has increased substantially, substantially, the measures undertaken by these countries. To mitigate space debris have not expanded at the same space— at the same pace. The vast majority of existing space debris originates from the past activities of leading spacefaring nations. In contrast, developing and emerging countries possessing limited space properties have played a minimal role in the generation of such debris and consequently bear a comparatively lower level of responsibility. responsibility. In accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, the primary obligation for reducing debris and their removal must be accepted by those who have created such a huge amount of space junk. Chair, it should be highlighted that many debris reduction methods require advanced and costly technologies, the development of which is beyond the technical, financial, and knowledge level of developing countries. For example, approaches such as design for demise, highly reliable active orbital debris removal, enhanced trackability, lifetime extension, on-orbit servicing, passivation of energy and propulsion systems are similar measures, and similar measures require state-of-the-art technologies. and extensive testing processes. Consequently, the development and implementation of a comprehensive capacity-building program in the field of technology development and innovation focused on debris mitigation constitutes a critical and unavoidable necessity. Such an initiative could be implemented in the form of a dedicated research and outreach program under the auspices of the COPUS, thereby facilitating with dissemination and sharing of knowledge and expertise, development of infrastructure, training, and joint capacity building. In this context, one of the factors that further exacerbates technical challenges is the imposition of restrictive unilateral measures on countries' pathways toward technological development, which result in the creation of obstacles to achieving the debris mitigation objectives And ensuring long-term sustainability. For instance, the refusal to provide innovative propulsion systems and modules for small satellites and CubeSats slows down progress in reducing space debris and undermines the effective disposal missions. Hence, the inability to obtain standard components and equipment through normal channels as a result of these limitations constitutes a significant constraining factor that exacerbates and deepens this challenge. Mr. Chair, large constellations are considered as one of the potential sources of space debris. Accordingly, developers of such constellations must review the design processes of their satellite fleets in order to address a critical question: whether the same main mission objectives can be achieved with a smaller number of satellites. The current exceptional circumstances compel us to ensure that competitive and ambitious environment in the development of megaconstellations do not result in the compromise of collective interests of the erosion of the long-term sustainability of space. Chair, efforts to mitigate space debris require accurate, timely, and comprehensive orbital data and situational information. Accordingly, space situational awareness and the global sharing of relevant data based on international cooperation play a critical role and in fact constitute an essential necessity. We hope that the ongoing activities of the SSA Expert Group under the Long-Term Sustainability Working Group will contribute meaningfully to ensuring unrestricted access for all states to these valuable and critical data. For this reason, the inclusion of all states in the process of technological development and the effective utilization of global capacity through fruitful international cooperation should be incorporated in the promotional mandate of COP8. I thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Islamic Republic of Iran for his statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished observer from Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, or APSCO. APSCO, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair.

I take the floor on behalf of APSCO. Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, APSCO is pleased to address the subcommittee under the agenda Thank you. Item 6, on space debris. We reaffirm our commitment to the peaceful uses of outer space in full alignment with the principle and spirit of the United Nations and the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Mr.

Chair, ASCO recognizes that long-term sustainability in outer space is a shared responsibility It requires strengthened international cooperation, responsible behavior, and forward-looking policies and technologies that ensure the safety and sustainability of the space environment. Similarly, sustainability requires that outer space remain open and accessible to all countries. With the benefits of space science and technology distributed in an equitable and inclusive manner. Realizing this version— this vision depends on sustained investment in space education and capacity building, particularly to support the needs of developing countries. ABSKO continues to play a constructive role in this regard. to promoting international collaboration among its member states and advancing inclusive cooperative projects that enhance space education and capacity building. In year 2025, APSCO achieved several milestones across its ongoing cooperative initiative. The Asia— Asian Pacific Science Observatories, or APSO project, is one of the APSO flagship programs. Under this initiative, 2 optical telescopes were successfully installed in member states, China and Mongolia, last year, and further installations across the remaining member states are planned for this year. The primary objective of this project is to strengthen peaceful scientific cooperation and support capacity building in astronomy and space science. To promote transparency and sharing information on space activities, APSCO organized the first expert group meeting on APSCO project. The meeting focused on defining the data sharing policy and operation mechanism, ensuring that observational data and scientific expertise are shared among member states for peaceful research and collaborative development. Similarly, ASCO successfully conducted intermediate progress review meeting and training on vision-based close proximity orbital operation simulation platform project last year. This project lays the foundation for developing advanced space operation capabilities with potential applications in space debris removal, on-orbit servicing, and other emerging areas for sustainable space operation. In the same spirit, APSCO conducted a series of space science training courses in 2025. These include short training on Geology 101 for crew space missions held in China. To further strengthen space education, meet emerging needs, and raise awareness among member states, ABSKO has planned a training course on space situation awareness in this year. Mr. Chair, As I said, AFCO remains firmly committed to support peaceful uses of outer space through practical cooperation, scientific inclusiveness, and sustained capacity building. We reaffirm our readiness to collaborate with the United Nations and all delegations in advancing peaceful scientific cooperation and contribution to the long-term sustainability of outer Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I thank the distinguished observer from EBSCO for his statement. So we have concluded our consideration of Agenda Item 6 on the space debris. Distinguished delegates, I'd like now to begin and hope— and our conclusion— I'm sorry, our consideration of agenda item 7 on space system-based disaster management support. The first speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of European Union. European Union, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Chair. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states. Albania, Armenia, and Ukraine also aligned themselves with this statement. Chair, on October 13th, 2025, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction underscores the necessity of investing in measures that prepare communities before crises unfold. Earth observation is vital for reducing disaster risk, supporting early warning capabilities, anticipating risks, reducing vulnerabilities, and planning effective mitigation strategies. Through the Global Gateway and the EU Space Programme, we promote a data-driven approach to disaster management. The Copernicus Earth Observation Program provides free, open, and reliable satellite data through its Sentinel missions, supporting scientists, policymakers, and emergency teams worldwide in preparing for risks and enhancing preparedness. Sentinel-1 radar helps identify flooded areas and monitors ground movements with millimeter precision, while Sentinel-2 complements the high-resolution optical imagery, aiding recovery proceedings. Copernicus transforms data into actionable insights via the Copernicus Emergency Management Services, supporting disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and risk reduction. It offers rapid risk mapping and early warning systems for floods, wildfires, and droughts worldwide. The Global Flood Awareness System provides flood forecasts 30 days in advance, while the Global Drought Observatory monitors agricultural impacts, and the Global Wildfire Information system addresses fire danger. The global human settlement layer aids understanding of urbanization patterns and their hazard exposure. Chair, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's 2024 report highlights significant disaster-related economic risks in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Copernicus-LAC Panama Center serves as a regional hub for addressing disaster risk reduction and climate change challenges, empowering authorities for informed decision-making. It offers Earth observation services for hydrometeorological, geological, and wildfire hazards, uses Sentinel data and AI to forecast landslides, The hub enhances community engagement through policy dialogues, supports private sector development, provides trainings, and hosted a hackathon in August 2025 focused on urban resilience. The winning project, Comunidades Satélites, combines satellite monitoring and territorial analysis for sustainable urban growth. And the development of similar partnerships can be considered in other countries and regions. Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished delegate of European Union for her statements. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Slovenia. Slovenia, you have the floor, please.

Thank you.

Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, thank you for granting me the opportunity to contribute to this important dialogue on behalf of the Republic of Slovenia and share a few important points. Slovenia attaches great importance to the role of space system-based services in supporting disaster risk management across all phases of the disaster management cycle. Recent experience has further strengthened our conviction that satellite technology technologies are indispensable tools for enhancing preparedness, response, recovery, and long-term resilience. The devastating floods experienced by Slovenia in 2023 underscored the critical value of timely, accurate, and interoperable space-based data for disaster prediction, prevention, and response. In response to these lessons learned, Slovenia has intensified efforts to better integrate satellite technologies into national disaster risk management systems and to strengthen cooperation among public authorities, researchers, industry, and international partners. In this context, Slovenia, in cooperation with the European Union Agency for the Space Program and EURES, organized a workshop, Satellite-Based Services for Disaster Risk Management, on 9 September 2025 at the Bordo Congress Center in Kranj. The workshop brought together national and European policymakers, technical experts, service providers, and end users with the objective of fostering a shared understanding of capabilities, needs, and challenges related to the use of satellite technologies throughout the disaster risk management cycle. The workshop reaffirmed that while satellite technology can support prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, its effectiveness ultimately depends on the awareness, knowledge, and operational readiness of public authorities and first responders. Core objectives of the workshop therefore included raising awareness among decision makers, improving access to satellite-based services, demonstrating the added value of space solutions in disaster and climate-related crisis, collecting user feedback, and formulating policy recommendations at both national and institutional levels. Importantly, the discussions also laid the foundation for a roadmap to facilitate the systematic integration of satellite based services into operational disaster management frameworks. Participants emphasized that space-based data delivers the greatest value when translated into actionable information at the local level. While Earth observation and geospatial tools already support the monitoring of floods, droughts, landslides, and wildfires, challenges remain related to data overload, resolution limitations, and timely interpretation. In this regard, Collaboration with local experts and end users was highlighted as essential to validating satellite data and ensuring it supports real-time decision-making. The workshop further highlighted the importance of integration and interoperability. Satellite services should not remain fragmented or experimental, but must become an integral component of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery systems. Multi-source approaches combining satellite data with aerial imagery, unmanned aerial systems, and ground-based observations were identified as key to achieving both broad situational awareness and the detailed information required for operational use. Such data fusion enables faster assessment and supports informed decision-making under pressure. Slovenia also recognizes that international cooperation remains a cornerstone of effective disaster risk management. Our active participation in the International Charter Space and major disasters demonstrates the value of coordinated global action, while projects in Africa illustrate how space technologies can contribute to resilience building and development cooperation beyond national borders. At a national level, Slovenia is committed to further strengthening its institutional and technical capacity. Space-based services are increasingly integral to our daily operational work and must be fully embedded within national security and resilience and systems. We are committed to building a national hub which will connect, connect space-based services and allow us to become more autonomous and resilient, while at the same time supporting space sector through innovative and inspired solutions. Continued investment in geo-information centers, data infrastructure, and education and scholarship programs to attract and retain expertise is therefore our national priority. In conclusion, Slovenia firmly believes that only by embedding satellite services into operational system— systems, fostering multi-source integration, and prioritizing user-driven design, can we fully utilize and realize the potential of space technologies in enhancing disaster resilience. We remain committed to advancing these efforts nationally and internationally and to contributing actively to the work of this subcommittee in promoting the peaceful use of outer space for the benefit of all humankind. Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Slovenia for her statements. So the next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Belarus. Belarusian, the floor please.

Thank you, Chairman, distinguished delegates. On behalf of the delegation of Belarus, we would like Welcome all delegates to the 63rd STSC. The Republic of Belarus broadly uses scientific and technical devices so as to apply space information for the prevention and mitigation of emergency situations of a natural or man-made nature. Scientific research here is conducted through the National Space Program 2021-2025. Also, through the current space program, 2026-2030, under the national space program running up to 2025, there was further development of the interagency system for monitoring and response to natural fires with the use. of space information from the Belarusian space system for remote sensing of the Earth. As our own space segment in the Republic of Belarus, in December 2025, we launched into orbit from the Russian Cosmodrome Vostochny a small Belarusian satellite, NavSat-2. The satellite has a targeting It's a satellite apparatus produced in Belarus with an infrared and visible range camera. The device is to monitor the Earth's surface so as to identify thermal anomalies, which could include fire— forest fires. The images are then processed on board using special algorithms. This allows us to quickly identify hotbeds, as well as to transfer this information to on-the-ground stations ASAP. The satellite is able to transmit processed data to stations regarding thermal anomalies, but also raw images retained in its memory, transferring them in real time. This ensures that we get The satellite information is key in informing the subdivision for emergency situations, meaning that swiftly fires can be localized and extinguished quickly so as to minimize damage. Furthermore, satellite data can be used for scientific research, for example, in the field of forestry.

Thank you.

Including on the environment. NavSat-2 is an important tool in combating fires. It protects lives and ecosystems. The use of space systems for the prevention and mitigation of emergency situations in the Republic of Belarus has significantly increased the effectiveness readiness, and qualitative provision of information to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, in so making management decisions happen faster and people safer. Chair, thank you very much for giving us the floor. Thank you, colleagues.

I thank the distinguished representative of Belarus for her statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of France. France, you have the floor, please.

Mr. President, Chair, ladies and gentlemen, France is actively mobilizing its space policy to fulfill the Paris Accords and the Sendai Framework on disaster risk reduction, especially within the framework of UN-SPIDER, to facilitate the use of space technologies for disaster management and emergency response. Alongside the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, France is at the origin of the International Charter for on Space and Major Disasters. Since it was established in 1999, this charter has enabled us to provide support to civil protection agencies and the international humanitarian community when major disasters have occurred more than 1,000 times. It is used about 60 times a year. And the French satellite SPOT, Pleiade, and Pleiade Neo are at the forefront of this system, with more than 30% of damage maps generated through Pleiade satellite images. The National Center for Space Studies, the CNES, has for the 7th time since it became official the presidency of the Charter from October 25 to April 2026. Throughout this mandate, the CNES has guaranteed the smooth functioning of the system and the availability of satellite and map data for users who have activated the Charter. My delegation would like to thank the partners in the Charter for their continued support during our presidency in 2025 and 2026. France would also like to highlight the role that UN OOSA has played with the UN SPIDER initiative in promoting universal access to Charter data, as well as UNITAR, which is participating in specific Charter operations, activating the system for countries who need assistance, and by providing map data from satellite images. Chair, beyond the Charter, the CNES has launched the concept of Recovery Observatory. When major events need huge reconstruction efforts. The observatory coordinates satellite image acquisitions, processes the data to respond to emergencies and to draft a recovery framework. Since 2020, several tests of this new approach have been undertaken in operational conditions, especially within the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites when landslides and floods occurred in Armenia in 2024. The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites launched an initiative in 2022 to help decision makers understand the possibilities provided by satellites for recovery and reconstruction after a disaster. We completed the presentation in countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and the results of the initiative were presented at the Living Planet Symposium 2025 in Vienna. In 2025, the major goal was to develop links with the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters by proposing an activation mechanism for the recovery phase. The idea is an integrated approach to risk management and to make the observatory more operational in 2026. Chair, my delegation would like to thank the partners of the CEOS, the World Bank, UNDP, European Union, UNOOSA, and national partner authorities for their commitment to the approach. Advocated by the Recovery Observatory. France would like to expand this system and is at the disposal of member states to share its experience. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of France for her statement. So the next speaker on my list is the distinguished speaker from— sorry, the distinguished delegate from Germany. Germany, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Mr. Chair, in 2025, Germany continued to use space-based systems to support disaster management efforts on Earth, in particular through the International Charter Space and Major Disasters. The German Aerospace Center DLR supported 68 activations of the charter last year and contributed 69 archive images as well as 60 newly acquired TerraSAR-X and Tandem-X images to these activations. One notable example is Hurricane Melissa, which caused devastating damage in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Cuba in October. However, there were also numerous activations in Asia and Africa. Charter continued to deepen its cooperation with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and its UN-SPIDER program. In order to attract additional users in Africa through its Universal Access Initiative. To this end, a joint training event with the South African Space Agency, SANSA, and other participants took place in South Africa in September. The Universal Access Initiative is crucial for continuously expanding the Charter's reach and ensuring even more effective support in disaster situations. In October, the Charter's 25th anniversary celebration took place during the 54th Charter meeting in Strasbourg. DLR has been a member of the Charter for 15 years. We want to thank all delegations whose space agencies worked trustfully and effectively with us during this time, and we look forward to the continued success of this unique mechanism. Mr. Chair, 20 years ago, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 61110, establishing the United Nations Platform for Space-Based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response, UN-SPIDER. This unique program implemented under UNOSA enables all countries to use space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle. Germany has supported UN-SPIDER since its inception and continues this commitment through the SPHERE project, a collaborative initiative between the University of Bonn and UN-SPIDER funded by the German Space Agency.

Thank you.

Efficiency.

The project focuses on the development of tools and methodologies for the effective use of space-based information in disaster risk management, as well as promoting the dissemination and application by national disaster management authorities of member states, particularly in Africa. We look forward to welcoming the new head of the UN SPIDER office in Bonn and to a renewed strategic direction, including efforts to strengthen strengthen partnerships, enhance sustainability, consolidate and expand regional support in Africa, and further reinforce UN-SPIDER's role within the international disaster risk management, emergency response, and humanitarian assistance community. An upcoming activity of the SPEAR cooperation will be held in the week following the STSC, comprising a regional symposium on space technologies for humanity and a regional technical training workshop on the application of Earth Observation and Geographic Information Systems in Disaster Risk Preparedness and Response. Both events will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, and will be hosted by the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development in close cooperation with the UN-Spider Office Bonn, the University of Bonn, and the German Space Agency. The symposium and technical training will primarily focus on delegates from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development region in East Africa, while also welcoming selected participants from other African regions and representatives of the African Union Commission and the African Space Agency. We look forward to these events and to hear about their outcomes. Germany remains firmly committed to supporting UN-SPIDER and its important work. Thank you for your kind attention.

I think this is the gate of Germany for his statement. So the next speaker on my list is the distinguished delegate of the Philippines. The Philippines, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

The Philippines recognizes the significant contribution of space system-based applications in disaster risk reduction and management, DRRM. Situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt, we are one of the most disaster-prone in the world, thus underscoring our strong interest in strengthening and leveraging the opportunities offered by space science and technology applications in enhancing disaster preparedness and response. We remain an active participant in Sentinel Asia as one of its data provider nodes. We have supported regional disaster response by generating and sharing satellite data which supports disaster impact assessment, planning, and response. We are also thankful for the resources made available through the International Charter Space and Major Disasters that have enabled our timely and effective response during disaster incidents. Our DRM activities also encompass our obligations to uphold climate resilience in the country, especially as the national focal point for Space for Climate Observatory or SCOAH. The country has 3 existing projects under the SCOAH: the Drought Early Warning in the Philippines, the National Operational Assessment of Hazards, and most recently, the COFIL Blue Hub, which pilots a remote sensing service to map, classify, and monitor benthic habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds using Copernicus data. The service reinforces the Philippines' ability to sustainably monitor and protect its marine environment. The use of satellite data is essential in saving lives and livelihoods, especially last year when the Philippines was ravaged by at least 20 typhoons and experienced sequential earthquakes. We use space data for drought monitoring, assessment of coastal environment conditions, mapping of flood-prone areas, and identification of fault lines. These experiences strongly motivate our efforts to collaborate with local and international partners and maximize such data and technologies for DRRM. Mr. Chair, international cooperation remains a core component of our mandate and supports national development objectives. We continue to strengthen collaboration with our partners. For example, our partnership with the European Union through the Copernicus program, or COFIL, further enhances our DRRM capacity through the provided access to Copernicus satellite data and Earth observation services. We also note the successful launch of SCOPE Digital in 2025 in partnership with Indonesia, Thailand, and the European Union. This initiative expands the COFIL system and strengthens Earth observation-based solutions for disaster resilience, natural resource management, and sustainable development across Southeast Asia. We encourage the continued development and strengthening of inclusive frameworks and programs that enable developing countries to participate meaningfully, share their experiences, and have their specific needs reflected. The Philippines continues to support UN-Spider initiatives, particularly as a sponsor of the Digital Twin for Flood Resilience and the Regional Technical Advisory Mission on Disaster Management and Response, with particular focus on Small Islands Developing States, or SIDS. Climate change and disasters are not isolated phenomena. They amplify each other's impacts, creating cascading risk that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. It is therefore imperative for states to recognize the accelerating climate shifts and to strengthen the peaceful use of space systems to support national, regional, and global disaster management efforts. The Philippines remains steadfast in supporting and strengthening international and regional mechanisms to harness space-based capabilities for efficient, effective, and people-centered disaster risk reduction and management. We stand with our partners in advancing the peaceful, sustainable, and cooperative use of outer space through improved access to satellite data, responsible practices, and sustained capacity-building initiatives. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

So I thank you, uh, the distinguished Thank you, Mr. Delegated of the Philippines, for his statements. So the next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Thailand. Thailand has the floor, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates. In 2025, Thailand faced the most severe flood in the lower southern part of our country in decades, or perhaps a generation. The rainfall and duration of this flood were significantly greater than any major case in the past 40 years. There were hundreds of casualties spread across 7 provinces. More than 1 million households were affected, and thousands of people were evacuated to temporary shelters. The incident was not just a typical seasonal flood but a crisis of high severity, reflecting the complex problem arising from extreme weather conditions and disaster risk management. All dignitaries which declaration in this room recognize the benefits of space technology that can greatly contribute to the better management of pre-, post-, and during disaster. In terms of the situations, our existing space-based system significantly contribute to the situational awareness damage assessment, and resource allocation, particularly in areas where ground access and conventional communication infrastructure are limited. Once again, space technology and its applications were proven to be accurate, timely, reliable, and indispensable tools to support critical decision-making by government agencies, emergency responders, and local authorities, as well as the public in the circumstance. Distinguished delegates, Thailand would like to highlight the laws of international and regional cooperation as key mechanisms to promptly and efficiently manage disaster. We also would like to express our sincere gratitude for the help and support that we received during the event, especially the value satellite imagery from our friends China, Japan, Sentinel Asia, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP, United Nations Satellite Center, UNOSAT, as well as the International Charter Space and Major Disasters. Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, though natural disasters are inevitable, we are able able to alleviate and minimize its effect through proper management and cooperation. Thailand remains its commit to promoting data sharing and integration, capacity building, and interagency coordination while actively engaging in regional and international cooperation to strengthen disaster management capabilities. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Thailand for his statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Japan. Japan, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Chair. Chair, distinguished delegates, recognizing the importance of space technology and international cooperation in disaster management, Japan, as a country with significant disaster risk reduction experience has been leading a regional disaster management project called Sentinel Asia. This initiative aims to prevent, mitigate, and reduce disaster-related damage by sharing satellite data across the Asia-Pacific region. Since its launch in 2006, Sentinel Asia has conducted approximately 550 emergency observations with the participation of 127 organizations across the region. Sentinel Asia's strength lies in its inclusive framework, bringing together space agencies, disaster management bodies, and international organizations to improve disaster assessment and response planning. To further advance these efforts, Sentinel Asia seeks continued international support. From February 10th to 12th this year, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center of the United Arab Emirates will host the annual Joint Project Joint Project Team Meeting, or JPTM, which includes specialized training sessions to enhance disaster preparedness. These efforts align with and contribute to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. In May 2024, the UAE experienced a once-in-50-years flood. Against this backdrop, we are honored to hold the JPTM in the UAE, which marks the first JPTM to convene in West Asia. Asia. In addition to JPTM, Sentinel Asia offers tailor-made trainings and workshops to member organizations, such as the ones in Türkiye, Nepal, Indonesia, and the Pacific organized in 2025, aimed at enhancing their in-house capacity and integrating the use of space-based information into local disaster management activities. Additionally, since 2005, JAXA has also been an active member of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters, working alongside 16 other members and supporting its activities. JAXA will assume the lead role starting this coming October. Last year, JAXA conducted emergency observations in response to requests from both Sentinel Asia and the International Charter. For example, during severe storms including Cyclones Dithwa and Senyar, which affected many countries in Asia at at the end of November last year, JAXA provided Eidos-2 satellite data to GISA of Thailand, BRIN of Indonesia, and the DMC of Sri Lanka. This data was shared proactively, enabling an effective disaster response. Furthermore, on behalf of the Sentinel Asia community, JAXA had the honor to deliver a presentation providing an overview of Sentinel Asia at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk production in June 2025. In the realm of water-related disasters, under the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, JAXA operates the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation, or GSMAAP, which provides hourly global precipitation maps from multiple satellites to support disaster management. In this regard, JAXA also provides capacity-building support to meteorological agencies in Africa and the Asia-Pacific And in fiscal year 2024, JAXA provided training to more than 30 people in total on how to use GSMAAP. JAXA has also published the guidelines for using GSMAAP to contribute to further capacity building in relevant countries. Chair, beyond these initiatives, Japan is working on multiple projects with international partners to apply space technology for disaster management, including efforts in with limited ground infrastructure where satellite-based solutions are indispensable. As part of these efforts, Japan has decided to contribute to new projects about $3.2 million to UNOOSA to support the strengthening of disaster resilience in Pacific Island countries and in Africa. Japan has also decided to support additional UNOOSA projects, including those undertaken in cooperation with UNODC and UNITO.

Thank you.

Japan believes that such targeted cooperation maximizes the impact of space-based solutions and ensures that countries in need can fully benefit from these technologies. Chair, before concluding, I reaffirm the indispensable role of space technology in disaster management. Japan stands firmly committed to advancing international cooperation in this field and will continue to lead efforts to harness these technologies for the safety, resilience, and prosperity of communities worldwide. Thank you for your attention.

I thank you, the distinguished delegate of Japan, for his statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Italy. Italy, you have the floor, please.

Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, Earth observation lies at the very heart of our response to climate change and to increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters. As the risks become more complex and interconnected, space-based technologies provide a unique capacity to anticipate impacts, strengthen preparedness, and protect lives, ecosystems, and critical infrastructure. Italy firmly believes that Earth observation is not only a scientific asset but a powerful instrument too for resilience, sustainability, and global cohesion. The Italian Space Agency has long been at the forefront of the Earth observation capabilities through flagship programs such as CosmoskyMed and PRISMA. Italy supports climate resilience, environmental monitoring, and rapid emergency response. This commitment was further enforced by the successful launch of Cosmos SkyMed 2nd generation last January, consolidating Cosmos SkyMed as a strategic asset for civil protection authorities, fire services, and international emergency response operations. A key example of international cooperation is Italy's longstanding partnership with Argentina through Italy-Argentinian System of Satellites for Emergency Management, which integrates CosmoskyMed and SAOCOM data to strengthen disaster response capabilities. Italy also cooperates closely with Japan under the Mutual Cooperation for Satellite Support to Disaster risk management initiative, reinforcing a shared commitment to awareness and resilience. At the multilateral level, Italy actively contributes to the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, particularly through the Working Group on Disasters, fostering global coordination across disaster risk reduction, response, and recovery. Italy's global engagement was further affirmed by co-hosting the GEO Global Forum in May 2025 and by its strong support for the GEO Post-25 Implementation Plan, which placed Earth observation at the center of ecosystem protection, food and water security, and disaster Looking ahead, Italy draws attention to IRIDE, an ambitious and innovative Earth observation national program. It will deliver services for environmental monitoring, emergency response, and security while generating significant economic and social benefits. Mr. Chair, distinguished delegates, Italy remains firmly committed to addressing climate change, protecting ecosystems, and strengthening global resilience. We stand ready to work with all partners convinced that Earth observation through cooperation, innovation, and shared responsibility can help safeguard our common future. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Italy Thank you for her statements. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Spain. Spain, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Chair. Spain endorses the statement made by the European Union and would like to make the following comments in its national capacity. Spain is committed to the peaceful, safe, and sustainable use of outer space that provides tangible benefits to society. We are aware that space services and products are essential for the management of many global challenges that we face today. Space is essential to deal with climate change, monitoring the environment, designing sustainable policies, and improving agriculture among many other applications and uses. The Spanish Space Agency has as one of its main tasks increasing the positive impact of space on society and to raise its profile in society. One of the areas in which space systems are essential is disaster management and emergency response. This is something well known within this subcommittee, therefore we won't go on— go into too many details about the benefits of Earth observation and satellite communications can make to prevent and monitor disasters and for response management, to name but a few. Chair, the initiatives promoted by UN OUSA and UN SPIDER are something that we applaud. Spain made a contribution to this initiative and we hope to work more closely with it in the future. In national terms, in Spain we have witnessed by firsthand the importance of the tools provided by satellites. The volcanic eruption on La Palma in 2021 and the floods in Valencia were terrible events, but their impact was mitigated thanks to the satellite images and communications provided. For Valencia, we received images from national and international satellites, and we would like to thank all the countries and organizations who provided help. Spain has its own national space capacities to support the response to natural disasters, and we are strengthening them with SpainSat-NG1 We have significantly increased communication capacity for the government and security forces who are involved in emergency response. The Spanish Space Agency is developing the Atlantica constellation with Portugal. This will provide Earth observation images which will provide better coverage for natural disasters and more effective and efficient response. We hope it will be ready in 2027, and we would like to see other countries contribute with their satellites to Atlantica. Once again, we see that international cooperation promotes the use of space that benefits society as a whole. Finally, we would like to conclude our statement by reiterating the importance of space systems for disaster management and emergency response, and we would like to confirm our support for initiatives promoted by UN-OSA in this regard. Thank you.

Thanks, distinguished Speaker of Spain. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of China.

Chair, distinguished delegates, in the spirit of a human community with shared future, China fully leverages its advantages space technology to advance international cooperation by providing stable and reliable space information for disaster monitoring, early warning, and emergency response worldwide, and by effectively supporting other countries building their capacity in disaster response and management. Last year, China built a virtual constellation for emergency response and disaster reduction based on remote sensing satellites. The constellation greatly improved our emergency observation capabilities and reduced the revisit time from once a few days to several times a day. We focus on the needs throughout the disaster management process and use large models and AI to overcome bottlenecks in data processing and information extraction. We have developed a product line which covers major disasters consisting We have completed the listing of 58 products in 3 categories and 3 levels. Last year, we completed 26 routine observation missions related to natural disasters and safe production. We carried out risk monitoring for key lakes, for ice melting in Yellow River, for forests, and the glacial lake rupture in Tibet, and we responded to earthquakes, floods, landslides, typhoons, and chemical park explosions. China made full use of international organizations and mechanisms such as the Charter and EBSCO to provide remote satellite imagery to international disaster relief efforts. Last year, we provided satellite imagery over 500 times to help with 83 international disasters. Examples include floods in Venezuela and Thailand, Over 1,600 scenes of satellite data were provided, which effectively supported evaluation decision-making in disaster management. And all these efforts demonstrate our commitment to international obligations and responsibilities and to our human community with a shared future. Under the renewed funding agreement for UNSPIDER 2025-2028 signed between China and the USA, we continue to provide financial and technical support to the UNSPIDER Beijing office, which together with China's Ministry for Emergency Management organized the trainings and hosted the 10th UNSPIDER International Conference on Disaster Risk Management. Through that platform, we provided satellite imagery and emergency mapping service when earthquake hit Myanmar and when Sri Lanka and Indonesia suffered from floods and landslides. China also takes an active part in disaster reduction cooperation under the Earth Observation Organization. We continue to promote space technology applications in disaster prevention and mitigation globally. China is committed to leveraging technology for disaster monitoring. We have been expanding the emergency service network of our Fengyun satellites. With Peru joining as the latest member, the network now boasts 37 members. Over the past year, the network effectively responded to 33 international requests and played a key role in monitoring major forest fires and floods.

Thank you very much.

Fengyun Meteorological Satellite Service covers 133 countries and regions, 101 of which along the Belt and Road Initiative. Last year, over 50 terabytes of data in international service were provided. Users of Fengyun Earth International version come from 106 countries and regions. To meet the diverse needs of users from Central Asia, Arab countries, and ASEAN, we provide tailored and optimized service. And we have also lowered access threshold for international users to enable easier access to space technology when disaster hits. Chair, China looks forward to strengthening exchange and cooperation with other countries to expand space technology applications, in emergency management and to make greater contributions to global emergency response and management. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of China for his statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Luxembourg. Luxembourg, to the floor, please.

Thank you very much, Chairman. Thank you, Mr. President. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the use of space technologies and innovative solutions is crucial to tackle ongoing humanitarian challenges and to provide swift, effective, and needs-based humanitarian aid. We continue to mobilize space technologies and applications in cooperation and development and humanitarian activities. Amongst the key projects, we note the Emergency.lu project. This is to provide communication means through satellite in crises. More recently, the Government of Luxembourg, in close cooperation with the UNHCR, Deployed a first terminal, 03B Empower, in Farhana. That is in Chad. In so doing, we provided solid connection— connectivity to humanitarian stakeholders, Sudanese refugees, and host communities. Going beyond crisis and communicate— communication in crisis, we are particularly active in Earth observation. As such, we've decided to build partnerships with UN agencies, including the UNHCR, the WFP, and the European Center for Nuclear Research, CERN, and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology. These are joint initiatives. Working on early warning systems so as to effectively monitor forced displacements and food insecurity challenges using space technologies. When it comes to innovation, we also work here with the WFP through the Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator. This program seeks to scale out-of-the-box solutions to humanitarian crises by focusing, inter alia, on AI, data science, and space technology. What's more, in 2025 and 2026, we decided to provide funding to different UN Using satellite imagery and geospatial analysis to assist UN agencies and UN member states facing humanitarian crises by providing maps of damage caused by natural disasters or conflicts. Chairman, in spite of the wealth of opportunities offered by satellite data, We should remain wary regarding risks and liabilities. We must together ensure that the no harm doctrine is upheld, so as to prevent any non peaceful uses. There is a significant digital divide which continues across the globe, and thus bilateral relations are important to. support transfer of know-how to developing countries. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Luxembourg for her statement. We will continue our consideration of the Agenda Item 7 on Space System-Based Disaster Management Support this afternoon. Distinguished delegates, I would now turn to proceed with the technical presentations. We have 4 technical presentations this afternoon. It's become afternoon now. Well, before I move on to the technical presentations, I would like to advise all the presenters that should they wish to have interaction through questions and answers after the presentation, they may wish to finish their presentation a few minutes earlier than the allotted time of 10 minutes. The first presentation on my list is on Leveraging Space Data for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Philippines by the representative of the Philippines. Philippines, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Are you ready?

Sure.

It's still recorded.

Good day, everyone. I'm Keith Antebello, Project Technical Specialist IV at the Space Infrastructure Information Bureau under the Space Data Mobilization and Applications Division of the Philippine Space Agency. As part of our agency's continuous efforts to build a disaster-resilient nation, I am here to discuss how we utilize space data to support national disaster risk reduction and management by providing timely, accurate, and actionable geospatial information to government agencies, local authorities, and humanitarian partners. Now, to start, as we all are aware, the Philippines' geographic location makes it inherently prone to natural hazards. This reality is clearly reflected in our agency's performance for 2025. If you look at the timeline, we were in active operation for 9 out of the 12 months during these periods. We were able to generate critical disaster-related maps to support response efforts. The year presented a distinct dichotomy in hazards. First, the dry season from March through April, our activations were dominated by grass fires, requiring extensive thermal anomaly mapping. Then the shift. As the seasons changed, so did the data. From July through November, our focus shifted almost entirely by flooding events driven by the wet season. The Philippine Space Agency plays a critical role in strengthening national disaster risk reduction and management in the country through the operational use of satellite data and space technologies. In 2025 alone, the PHILSA DRRM team produced a total of 1,583 maps supporting various applications, including 1,316 flood maps, 253 damage proxy maps, 12 burned area maps, and 2 landslide maps distributed to over 260 distinct stakeholders nationwide. And this slide shows Sentinel Asia by the numbers, highlighting the extent of emergency observation requests or activations across the Philippines. From 2024 to December 2025, a total of 20 activations were made in Sentinel Asia. The majority of activations were related to floods, landslides, and storms, with a total of 16 cases reflecting how frequently these hazards affect the country. There are also 2 activations for landslides, earthquakes, and tsunami events, one for oil spill, and one for volcanic activity. Each marker on the map represents where satellite-based observations were requested in response to different disasters. These activations were made possible through the collaboration of several Philippine institutions such as Pagasa, Phivox, MGB, and of course, PHILSA, working together under the Sentinel Asia framework to request and utilize satellite data for rapid disaster assessment and response. Now, as of January 2026, since 2019, Philippines was known to be the number one requester or activator of Sentinel Asia at 20%. Vietnam at 17%, and Nepal at 10%. Now, in terms of operations, the team follows a standardized workflow whenever a disaster occurs. Once the team is triggered or activated, initial activities include reviewing all available resources and consolidating situation reports to validate and identify the affected areas. PhilSA may activate Sentinel Asia. However, depending on the projected severity of the disaster, The activation may be escalated to the International Disaster Charter, or IDC. Once satellite imagery becomes available, the team conducts data processing and disseminates the resulting products to the public and affected partner local government units. In terms of data processing, this slide actually shows a general picture of a workflow for satellite data processing, from acquiring raw satellite imagery all the way to the final quality control. We begin with data download or data acquisition, which involves downloading imagery from different provider platforms. These sources may include distribution portals, FTP servers, or emergency mechanisms like the IDC. Once the data is downloaded, we move into the preprocessing phase, which ensures our dataset is spatially accurate and ready for analysis. Different satellite data have different preprocessing steps, The next phase, of course, involves the core processing task. This is where raw imagery becomes meaningful information. The steps to do here heavily depends on the target products, including but not limited to image classification, generating remote sensing indices, and running AI models. After the core processing task, we refine and package the results. These steps ensure that the results are presentable, standardized, and ready for mapping or reporting. And finally, we conduct quality control. This ensures accuracy and reliability before the datasets or maps are released to the general public. Quality control involves getting approval to distribute from Eurodirector or the division head. Now, historically, flooding due to typhoons has been the most frequent disaster we face year-round. However, the agency is now fully equipped to map these occurrences. Presented here are sample maps generated for the major disasters of the past year. This includes outputs from Typhoon Opong, part of the Mirasol-Nando-Opong triad that severely impacted large portions of the country in September. Furthermore, when Typhoon Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan struck during the early weeks of November, the agency successfully produced corresponding disaster maps to support response efforts. Also presented here are sample damage assessment maps highlighting potentially affected structures due to flooding associated with Typhoon Tino in November 2025 and the recent magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu. I want to highlight the earthquake damage proxy maps as the team mobilized Earth observation data for the first time to map them, which were associated with a series of earthquakes that affected Cebu and Davao last year. As part of the agency's ongoing efforts, we continuously explore and adapt existing methodologies to leverage space data in mapping disasters that occur less frequently in the Philippines, such as earthquakes. While our traditional focus has been on frequent flooding, the agency is now equipped to rapidly map structural, structural damage when seismic events occur, ensuring a more comprehensive disaster response capability. Also, in relation to the magnitude 6.9 earthquake, earthquake-induced landslides were observed in addition to the reported structural damage. To map these occurrences, very high-resolution or VHR satellite imagery from PhilSA's subscriptions were utilized, allowing for precise identification and visualization of affected areas. As mentioned, grass fires were prevalent earlier this year during the dry season. Post-burn extent maps were delineated and generated using locally adapted threshold values modeled after the UN SPIDER burn severity classification. And in the event of potential volcanic activities, specifically ashfall, the DRR team generates ashfall extent maps to identify affected areas. In here, this is Mount Katlaon found in Visayas where it had some volcanic activity in December 2024. These maps were created as they are critical for managing the associated health risks to residents in nearby municipalities. Also, PHILSA conducts studies on ground subsidence, particularly in areas that are highly vulnerable to its impacts. One such area is the Bulacan Province in Central Luzon, located north of Metro Manila, where western cities and municipalities have been observed to be sinking, exacerbating flood In this map specifically, it was found out that the subsidence rates reached up to 150 millimeters per year in some areas in Bulacan Province. And we've also had accidental oil spill events in 2024 coming from ships that capsized over Manila Bay. PHILSA monitored these events and continuously generated oil spill maps. In collaboration with the UP Marine Science Institute, or UPMSI, They were able to use the maps for their forecasting analysis, allowing them to see which areas the oil would land, and later inform the affected LGUs, or local government units, to help them in cleaning activities. Now, one of the use cases was the landslide map release for Davao de Oro. The Philippine Space Agency generated a rain-induced landslide map covering an area near a mining site in Barangay Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro. where more than 55 houses were affected by the landslide that occurred on the evening of February 6, 2024. The map was disseminated to relevant agencies including the Office of Civil Defense or OCD and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office or the PDRRMO to support response and coordination efforts. And lastly, our team had the opportunity to gather and validate earthquake damage proxy maps in Boga City, an area that was severely affected by the earthquake that recently happened in Cebu. The team engaged with the local municipality's DRRMO and simultaneously validated these maps, which can be used to refine earthquake damage assessments using this case study. Now, actually, this concludes my presentation on the Philippine Space Agency's recent advancements. in disaster mapping. In closing, I want to emphasize that these efforts go beyond technical mapping. They are the foundation of disaster resilience. Our goal is to ensure that no tragedy goes unmapped and no community is left without the data that they need to recover and rebuild. For more information on our methodologies or potential collaborations, please feel free to reach out via the contact details provided on this slide. Thank you for your time and attention. Thank you.

Thank you for your presentation. The second presentation on my list is on the disaster risk management support using satellite data and AI-driven digital twins through collaboration between the Commonwealth and UNOOSA by the representative of Japan. Japan, the floor, please.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, dear Excellencies, distinguished delegates, and colleagues, and my friends. My name is Atsushi Takahara from Space Data Inc., Japan. It is a privilege to present our initiative on disaster risk management to support using satellite data and AI-driven data twin. This project is a collaboration between UNOSER Commonwealth nations designed to enhance global resilience and disaster management. Let me briefly introduce myself. I'm Executive Vice President for Global Strategy Alliance Office at Space Data. My background includes managing international airspace programs, overseeing the procurement of high-reliability components for JAXA spacecraft, and new business development including equity investment. At Space Data, I lead the global strategy R&D office for our mission to make space technology accessible and useful for solving challenges here on Earth. Our core technology is the integrated information and data system platform, including the digital twin. We operate in 2 main areas. First, the Earth digital twin, which reproduces produces a near-realistic environment in cyberspace to support disaster management, urban development, and other use cases. Second, the Space Virtual Twin, which really creates environments like the International Space Station or lunar surfaces, allowing users and engineers to experience space conditions without leaving the ground. I think it's very easy and quick to show you, uh, several demos. This demo video explains our strengths of solutions from space to Earth as an integrated platform beyond digital twin with high-resolution 3D visualization to simulate and predict the future based on the simulation. This is not a video, but we created this as 3D model digital twin based on the satellite imagery with the collaboration with many partners, and we appreciate the work. For the next video, I'd like to show you the another example. Here you see our Earth digital twin technology in action. By combining satellite data with AI, we generate very detailed, high-resolution 3D models of cities, which serves as the foundation for our disaster simulations. And another one, these models allow— these models allow us to visualize our infrastructure with precision, creating a digital replica that governments can use for planning and analysis with very user-friendly interfaces.

Thank you.

Using the LLM model integrated in our digital twins, you can search where it is. And this is the International Space Station digital twin, which you can generate a lot of microgravity conditions. And thanks to the— our partners worldwide, we are proud to work with the prestigious global partners. From right to left— left to right, of course we work with UNOSER. We collaborate to support disaster responses using the RCT train. And Commonwealth nations, we simulate flood risks and estimate building footprints for member states like Ghana, and Trinidad and Tobago. For UAE, we have signed an MOU with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center to create city digital twin using their satellite imagery for tourism and economic promotion, and lunar digital twin for human exploration. For the government of Malaysia, we work with the ministries to address issues ranging from deforestation to urban transportation and drainage systems as well. And of course, with the Japanese Japanese government, with the government of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation, Tourism, we are creating the digital twins platform for the entire Japanese nation.

This—

since 2024, we have been implementing a joint project with InnoCell. Our global— our goal is to integrate our automated digital twin technology into the disaster management system cycle for approximately 1,800 cities in future, primarily in developing countries and small island developing— development states. By providing risk maps and very high-resolution imagery, we aim to raise hazard risk preparedness for member states. This is another video that we worked with Tonga to— for the very initial digital twin for the city rail simulator. Again, thanks to our partners worldwide, we create this AI-based 3D models for the simulations, and we appreciate work led by the university. Our efforts have been recognized on the global stage since September 2024. Our Tonga Island Twin Project was introduced at the UN Future Summit in New York. This summit was a critical venue for us discussing a global agenda beyond the SDGs. We have also launched, launched joint project with the Commonwealth Nations, a union of 56 member states. Since January 2025, we have begun simulations in Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago to could visualize sea level rise as an impact of natural disasters and climate change risks. From January to March 2025, within the 3 months, we are executing a disaster prevention strengthening project in collaborations with the University of Bonn, University of Tokyo, and Maxar Technologies. We are using AI and 30-centimeter-class high-resolution satellite imagery to generate 3D models, and these models allow us to simulate floods and storm surges with technical supervision from UNOSER. And you can see the demonstration video here that we created data twins for Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Our current focuses for these data twin developments, including the specific common with members where we are actively building resilience against climate risks. So these are the only decidable rights simulators, but we can do more, of course, and I will explain it later. But we have very exciting announcement as well. Our work also extends to the African continent as well. At the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, so-called TICAD 9, last summer, organized with Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we introduced our AI-based retrofitting project. We plan to distribute this data to African countries as well to enhance their disaster risk assessment capabilities. And this is the very new announcement from Space Data. Just several weeks ago, we announced that we have been selected, awarded by the Space Strategic Fund enabled by the Japanese government to advance technologies for disaster management data training platform using AI and satellite data. We also collaborate, collaborate with leading research institute and private companies on this initiative, like National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, and University of Tokyo, Mitsubishi Electric, Satellite Data Services, Tokyo Marine Resilience System Design and Management, Shibuya Institute of Technology, to ensure scientific accuracy and to, to execute this initiative. We will of course work with INOSO on this project too. Just to briefly explain what we're going to do under this initiative. It's, it's too tiny, but I can explain it.

The—

our disaster prevention data twin platform consists of 3 layers. Number 1, prediction layer, simulates disaster and traffic predictions. And number 2, COP, Common Operational Picture layer, provides near real-time situational awareness such as water levels and people moving movement. And number 3, physical space layer, which visualizes infrastructure like roads, railways, and airports. And this layer works together to provide solutions for disaster response and urban development. And finally, we, Space Air Inc., are actively looking for partners. We invite you to co-create, pilot, and implement these solutions in collaboration with InnoServe to build a safe safe and resilient world. Thank you very much for your time and attention. Again, my name is Atsushi Takara, and I look forward to working with you all to advance these vital initiatives for the benefit of life on Earth.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thanks for your presentation. So the next one, the third one, is the— Slovenia, right? Okay, yeah. So the 3rd presentation on my list is on the satellite-based services for disaster risk management in Slovenia. Slovenia, EU, SPA, the Red Sea choice event in September 2025 by the representative of Slovenia. Slovenia, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for the opportunity to present the outcomes of the workshop Satellite-Based Services for Disaster Risk Management, which was held at the Breda Congress Center in Kranj, Slovenia. The workshop was co-organized by the Slovenian Space Office, the EU Agency for the Space Program, and This event brought together national and European high-level policymakers, experts, service providers, and end users. Its objectives was to foster a shared understanding of existing capabilities, emerging needs, and key challenges in the use of satellite technologies across all phases of the disaster risk management cycle. Slovenia is a geographically diverse country characterized by mountains, coastline, rivers, rivers and lakes. While this diversity is one of its greatest assets, it also increases the country's exposure to natural hazards. Slovenia faces a wide range of risks including floods, wildfires, and landslides. Between 2012 and 2024, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service rapid mapping capability was activated 16 times in Slovenia, with flooding being the predominant trigger. In recent years, Increasingly intense rainfall and river overflow events have caused significant damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and local communities. On the screen, you can see the list of the Copernicus Management Service rapid mapping that was activated in Slovenia over these years. One of the most severe disasters in Slovenia's recent history was the devastating floods of 2021. These events, driven by extreme rainfall and resulting floods and landslides, are closely linked to climate change. The growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events represent a new reality requiring systematic and forward-looking preparedness at all levels of society. Satellite technologies can support all 4 phases of the disaster risk management, from prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. However, their effective use depends on awareness, capacity, and understanding among public authorities, decision-makers, and first responders regarding their practical application and added value. This workshop that we organized in Slovenia aimed to raise awareness of the opportunities offered by the EU space program to enhance innovation and effectiveness in disaster risk management through hands-on demonstrations. Integrations of national capabilities enabled by satellite data, the event fostered a common understanding among national stakeholders and encouraged wider operational uptake. Importantly, the workshop also served as a unique platform for local stakeholders to meet, exchange experiences, and discuss best practices and sector-specific needs. The purpose of the workshop was twofold. First, to increase the awareness of existing operational satellite based services with a particular focus on their integration into daily workflows and their translation into actionable information. Second, to contribute to the development of a roadmap to facilitate the integration of satellite-based services by providing decision makers and EU institutions with direct feedback on user needs, challenges, and expectations. The workshop was organized by USPA in collaboration with EURES and the Slovenian Space Office under the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia. It was also very strongly supported by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The introductory session featured high-level interventions from national and European policymakers outlining the policy framework and future perspectives in disaster risk management and assessment. This was complemented by a panel discussion on services enabled by different components components of the EU spacecraft program, including the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. The first thematic panel focused on raising awareness of satellite-based services for disaster risk management, emphasizing their practical use and integration into operational workflows rather than technological aspects alone. The second panel highlighted the user perspective, gathering inputs and feedback from diverse end-of— end-user communities. Identified benefits, needs, challenges, and opportunities form the basis for a forward-looking discussion on how to streamline the integration of satellite-based services into disaster risk management practice. The workshop pursued the following core objectives: to raise awareness among decision-makers of satellite applications across all phases of disaster risk management, to discuss ways to improve accessibility to satellite-based services services for disaster risk management, demonstrate the added value of satellite-based solutions in disaster management and climate-related crisis, to collect user feedback on needs and experiences related to service integration, to formulate policy recommendations at both national and institutional levels, and provide a foundation for a roadmap to facilitate the integration of satellite-based services. This workshop was also fully aligned with Slovenia's commitment under the Slovenian Space Strategy 2030, which is structured around 3 programmatic pillars. First is strengthening space technologies and research and development by advancing capabilities in Earth observation, satellite communication, and deep space infrastructure. Second pillar is expanding participation in international exploration and research, including human and robotic missions, and contributing to global global scientific and technological progress, and to enhance the development of and uptake of space applications to support sustainable growth, um, through, through access of climate services, agriculture, and digital infrastructure. These 3 pillars are complemented by 2 enabling pillars focused on ecosystem development. One is to secure the next generation of scientists and space professionals through the promotion of STEM education and the modernization of university curricula, and by stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship by supporting startups, university spin-offs, and dedicated space innovation programs. On this last slide, I would like to invite you to scan the QR codes which are displayed on the screen. One is going to take you to the Slovenian space strategy in greater detail And, um, with, with that, you can see the more of the activities that Slovenian Space Office is conducting under the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism, and Sport in Slovenia. I thank you for your kind attention.

Thank you for your presentation. And the 4th presentation on my list before we go to lunch, uh, is on the national preparedness of the Republic of Korea Korea for the space weather risk by the representative of Republic of Korea. Please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and distinguished delegate. It's my honor to introduce the National Preparedness Plan to Media Space Weather Risk in Korea. I'm Ki Chang-yu from the Korea Space Weather Center of KASA, and let me start start my presentation. Korea officially designated space weather as a national risk in 2013 and has been actively working on response measures based on Radio Wave Act. We have created a national space weather strategy with a roadmap of key initiatives. Our focus is on expanding research and development and improving forecast accuracy and strengthening international cooperation with the global community— communities. We are carrying out a 5-year R&D project on space weather for LEO and GEO satellite. The main goal are to detect solar proton event automatically and create solar magnetogram using deep learning, predict the sporadic E-layer event with AI and improve space weather radio data processing. This work will help make satellite operations safer and improve space weather forecasting. Let me give you more detail on it. First, it is to enhance the quality of solar images and generate solar magnetic field data for Sun's far side and limb using machine learning. The quality of solar images is crucial for forecasters, and sunspot analysis makes improved image data essential. To support the operational process, we have developed a tool based on signal processing technique that automatically identifies flares' location and assigns sunspot numbers. Also, we developed the Automatic Solar Synoptic Analyzer called ASSA in 2011. 11 and 12V equipped with several enhanced features such as detecting solar flare location and flare probabilities. Currently, we are developing the automatic detection of the CMEs and its propagation model based on COM model. So once the basic setup including denoising of background noise is complete, we will combine CME data with AI to determine the initial speed and density, whether the CME will hit based on its shape and size. Another research is enhancing capability of ground radio observations. Due to the radio environment, it has been difficult to clearly distinguish between noise and solar radio bursts. Through this research, we applied signal processing and noise filters, improving the receivers as shown in this picture, and we are able to observe Type 2 radio bursts in 2023. Moving forward, we plan to continuously improve accuracy by performing data calibration with other agencies. Also, we have achieved enhanced solar flux data by replacing the noise filter in the F10.7 instrument to estimate solar activity. We are now establishing a new Radio Solar Telescope Network, or RSTN, antenna with 5 frequency bands ranging from 1.4 to 15 GHz band. Starting at the end of this year, we plan to operate an observation station to monitor how solar radio emission affect wireless communication. In 2012, Korea has established standard manual for space weather risk with related ministries and agencies. Under this manual, a national risk warning is issued when the NOAA scale reaches level 4 or higher. Based on this procedure, the government issues a national risk alert on the 4 occasions last year, including 4 attention level warnings. Last year, we witnessed a significant space weather event, specifically intense G4-class geomagnetic storm. In immediate response to this threat, Korea established a specialized emergency response team dedicated to space weather risk and other ministries followed the predetermined procedure. Because of this event, there was no major damages in Korea. However, Airbus provided a precautionary software update for A320 aircraft after a 2025 case where strong solar radiation could affect flight control computers. This highlighted the space weather risk. In Korea, 42 of the 80 aircraft have taken this measure. To respond to the impact of space weather, national-international cooperation is increasingly essential. So we organized the 15th International Space Weather Conference to facilitate the exchange of the space weather information between academia, industry, and research institution. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Sharafa from the ICG and Dr. Bin Xian from the Chinese Academy of Science. We aim to establish 2 ground stations for SWIPO IMAP by the end of this year to secure critical solar weather data from the L1 point, which is essential for accurate forecasting. This facility will enable us to continuously support the International Solar Wind Observation Network and strengthen satellite cooperation for space weather prediction. Moving forward, we plan to pursue detailed technical collaborations such as solar wind prediction and GOES-19 CME analysis to strengthen research-to-operation process. Korea will host the 2026 International Space the initiative from September 7th to 11th in Seoul, Korea. This event will take place near the solar maximum. We hope it, it'll be a meaningful meeting where participants can share advanced technology and forecasting models. In fact, Korea is a great place to host space weather events. Korea has a long history of observing space weather. Records from the 12th century already described sunspots and aurora-like events in detail. Many of these were written down, and Korea holds a large part of the world's old record. Here is the short instruction to the charm of Seoul. Seoul is a lively city that old and new. It is famous for its culture, modern technology, and fun entertainment. With historical places like all the dynasty palaces, Seoul gives visitors a rich and unique experience. Korea is a country that links tradition and the future. We are planning 2 special tours. One tour will visit Gyeongbokgung Palace, a traditional Korean palace. The other tour will show Korea's latest technology like AI, robot, and semiconductor factories. Visitors will be able to see both Korea's history and its modern technology. A special banquet can be arranged at the conference venue. In this case, we plan to invite K-pop artists and hold the event together with a live performance. We are honored to once again to host the E-Suite 2026 in Korea, and we eagerly anticipate engaging more discussions and sharing stories in Seoul. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Any question from the floor to this presentation? Oh yes, in the back.

Yes.

Thank you, Space Renaissance International. Yes, I brought my space— on space weather. I want to congratulate you on the activities. I have a question on, do you have also tools to predict the heliosphere magnetic field and the connectivity between surface events and what would be their impact? Also, with COSPAR, we have a panel on space weather. where we have a number of experts, so that will be good to, to see how this works together.

Yeah, I'm very happy to announce that I'm also vice chair of the COSPAR panel on space weather. So we have very strong tools to analyze the sunspots' characteristics, including its size and magnetic field and also the, the flare history. So I'm happy to share our recent update for the, uh, this tool, uh, after this session.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I saw that for the upcoming COSPAR assembly in Florence, there are at least 10 sessions organized by the panel on space weather. So there should be a lot of progress there.

Thank you.

All right. Thank you very much for the question and answer. If you— anyone want to go to Korea also, don't forget to ask him after the meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Distinguished delegates, I will shortly adjourn the meeting. Before I do so, I would like to inform the delegates that— about the schedule of work this afternoon. We will meet promptly again at 3 PM and we will continue our consideration of the agenda item 4 on the general exchange of views. Then we will continue our consideration of Agenda Item 7 on the space system-based disaster management support. If time permits, we will begin our consideration of Agenda Item 8 on the recent developments in the global navigation satellite systems. Again, if time also permits, we will begin our consideration of Agenda Item 9 on the space

Yes, sir.

We will then suspend the plenary meeting so that the workgroup of the whole can be hold its second meeting. Following the adjournment of the workgroup meeting, we will then resume the plenary to proceed with the technical presentations, which we will have 3 technical presentations this afternoon. The delegates are reminded that the full schedule of technical presentation is available on the session webpage. I would also like to inform the delegates that the informal consultations of the Action Team on the Lunar Activities Consultation will be held in Conference Room M2 from 1 PM to 2 PM. These informal consultations are open for participation by ADELAAC members only, by ADELAAC members also virtually to virtual connection links and to ad hoc members. The WebEx team link is available on the informal circular USA/2026/4. This passed on January 26th, 2026. I would also like to inform delegates that the informal consultation of the Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability of of outer space activities will be held in the conference room M2 from 2 PM to 2:50 PM. These informal consultations are open for participants through MS Teams with the virtual connection made available to the working group members. The MS Teams link is available on the information circular OUSA/2026/4 dispatched on January The schedule of consultation is available on the webpage of the session. Now, I would like to give the floor to the Secretariat to provide more information on the side events, please.

Thank you very much, Chair. Distinguished delegates, during the lunch period, there will be an event entitled Ensuring Responsible AI in Space and Earth Observation: From Principles to Practice. It's organized by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, starts at 1:00 PM in Room M3, and is also available via virtual connection. All delegates are invited, uh, and please be reminded that the schedule of the side events is available on the webpage of the STSC session.

Thank you, Secretariat. So if you have to go— if you want to go, you have to run now. It's 1:00 PM already. And, um, thanks, Secretariat, for information provided. Are there any questions or comments on this proposed schedule? I see none. Distinguished delegates, this meeting is adjourned until 3 PM.

Thank you.