Space

20 January – Representatives from a dozen countries are set to meet with United Nations agencies later this week for talks on how to strengthen the world body's efforts to bring civilian adaptations of space-related technology to the developing world.

The informal session on education and outer space is scheduled for Friday in Geneva and will include presentations by UN agencies and members of the Vienna-based UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) on their space-related education and training programmes.

In addition to an open discussion on "Contributions of the space community to the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development," Member States will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with such offerings by the UN system as the Space Education Programme of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Space Programme of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), which is responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology, will also present its programme of seminars and workshops organized regularly for the benefit of experts, scientists, engineers and policy makers from developing countries.

Representatives from China, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, South Africa and the United States are expected to join OOSA, UNESCO and WMO at the session.

Other UN agencies scheduled to participate include the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).