Through its participation, the UAE aims to promote international cooperation and space sustainability
The UAE, represented by a delegation from the UAE Space Agency, participated in the World Space Forum 2024, which was held at the United Nations headquarters in Bonn, Germany, from 3 to 5 December. Under the slogan “Sustainable Space for Sustainability on Earth”, the forum was attended by an elite group of experts, decision-makers, and policy-makers from global institutions, private organizations, academic circles, and non-governmental organizations.
Jointly organized by the United Nations, the UAE, Germany, and Peru, the forum is a key global platform that contributes to bolstering international cooperation in space exploration and ensuring its sustainability to support sustainable development on Earth.
In his keynote speech at the opening of the forum, His Excellency Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, Director-General of UAE Space Agency, highlighted the challenges posed by the rapid growth of the space sector, such as the risks associated with the increase in satellites and space debris. Al Qubaisi elaborated on the need to establish global standards that balance innovation and responsibility and stressed the importance of fostering international cooperation to support sustainability, pointing to initiatives such as the Space2030 Agenda, which provides a roadmap for integrating space activities into the Sustainable Development Goals.
Al Qubaisi also stressed the role of technological innovation in developing advanced technologies that contribute to achieving sustainable space exploration and strengthening international partnerships to ensure the peaceful use of outer space and its technologies.
Al Qubaisi said, “The second edition of the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, which will be held on 10 and 11 December, 2024, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, reflects the UAE’s commitment to encouraging international cooperation to address pressing challenges in the space sector. This edition will focus on sustainability, security, and the accessibility of space technologies.”
Al Qubaisi added, “Abu Dhabi Space Debate and the World Space Forum are fundamental pillars for bolstering international partnerships and developing policies that ensure the sustainability of space activities and the protection of resources on planet Earth for future generations.”
World Space Forum reviewed the recommendations of the Summit of the Future, the UN/Portugal Conference on “Management and Sustainability of Outer Space Activities Conference”, the implementation of the Space2030 Agenda, and the role of space technologies in supporting climate action by facilitating access to space data and its use for disaster management as well as achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 17). Furthermore, the forum focused on enhancing global cooperation in space, supporting sustainable development, the contribution of space activities to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, developing global space governance, strengthening international partnerships between the public and private sectors, among other related topics.
On the sidelines of the forum, His Excellency Salem Al Qubaisi met with several senior officials including Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), and Walther Pelzer, Director-General of the German Space Agency (DLR), to discuss global challenges and ways of cooperation in space projects.