On May 8, UBC Political Science PhD student Charlotte Hook had the exciting opportunity to present a statement at the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) in Vienna, Austria.
Charlotte presenting the OSI statement
Charlotte attended the conference as the representative of the Outer Space Institute, which holds permanent observer status at the UN COPUOS.
The statement was made under Agenda Item 8, general exchange of views on potential legal models for activities in the exploration, exploitation, and utilization of space resources.
It discussed the importance of coordination among actors conducting space resource activities on the lunar surface and taking lessons from other environments beyond national jurisdiction that have faced similar coordination challenges. The statement suggested there could be multiple models for how actors manage activities on the lunar surface, such as “Notice to Lunar Missions,” to complement proposed safety zones in the 2020 Artemis Accords.
The audience of Charlotte’s presentation included diplomatic delegations from the 104 member-states of COPUOS, which is a committee of the UN General Assembly.
The Outer Space Institute also wrote a supplementary paper to the statement, and the paper was distributed to delegations interested in learning more. The paper expanded on relevant international law in the space, air, and maritime domains and discusses the importance of due regard between actors on the lunar surface, which, it argued, a Notice to Lunar Missions would fulfill.
