April 18, 2014
UNOOSA Releases Education Curriculum on Space Law
The United Nations (UN) Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) has released the Education Curriculum on Space Law, a resource document for the teaching of the international and national legal and regulatory framework applicable to space activities. The Curriculum was developed at the request of the Legal Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
The curriculum was developed by a group of international educators and space law experts in cooperation with the Directors and Secretary-General of UN regional centers on space and technology education. It is designed for use at these UN regional centers, as well as other institutions and initiatives engaging in space law.
“The curriculum constitutes an outstanding product for all those interested in Space Law capability building around the world,” says Ciro Arévalo Yepes, a member of the group of UN experts responsible for the Curriculum, and SWF Advisory Committee member.
SWF Project Manager Chris Johnson also assisted with the development of the curriculum during his time as an intern at OOSA in Vienna, Austria in 2010.
April 22, 2014
SWF Prepares for IAF's Global Space Application Conference
The International Astronautical Federation’s (IAF) Global Space Application Conference (GLAC) will be held from June 2-4, 2014 in Paris, France. The conference, co-organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will bring together the global satellite-based services community to present results, exchange ideas, debate roadmaps, and discuss future opportunities provided by satellite-based applications. It aims to offer a holistic view of satellite-based applications, including discussions on solutions to obstacles limiting access to services, the success of capacity building efforts, and requirements for knowledge management.
SWF Project Manager Laura Delgado López will participate in a session entitled “Solutions for barriers to access to application services, requirements for capacity building and knowledge management” in which she will present a paper on the role of public awareness as a potential barrier to greater access and utilization of space applications. Dr. Ray Williamson, Senior Advisor, will participate in a panel discussion and SWF Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson will also be in attendance; SWF Advisory Committee member Gérard Brachet serves as co-chair of the GLAC Program Committee.
April 30, 2014
SWF Receives Positive Assessment of its Assistance to the African Leadership Conference
SWF was able to work with the African Leadership Conference (ALC) and the UNOOSA to support the ALC held in Accra, Ghana, from December 3-5, 2013. Dr. Peter Martinez, Chairman of the South African Council for Space Affairs, recently provided SWF with the following assessment of the event.
"SWF support contributed to the success of the ALC 2013 in several ways. Firstly, SWF's support for accommodation costs allowed the ALC to double the number of funded African participants who attended. However, it was not only the value of the support that mattered, but also the speed and flexibility that SWF showed in being able to channel its support to complement the travel support provided by UNOOSA.
"The sixteen funded participants came from Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. They comprised a mix of established space professionals and young professionals. One third of them were female. The support from SWF made it possible for these participants to meet and interact with one another to build a collective vision for space on the African continent.
"Among the various ALC 2013 outcomes, two are particularly well aligned with the mission of SWF:
- During the session on the initiative by the African Union to develop an African Space Policy and an African Space Strategy, it was agreed that the concept of space sustainability should be introduced in both the Policy and the Strategy.
- The meeting also acknowledged the importance of African countries engaging more actively in the ongoing multilateral initiatives to promote the safety, sustainability and security of outer space. To this end, it was agreed that African countries should improve their coordination ahead of UN COPUOS meetings and other future meetings to discuss a proposed international code of conduct for outer space activities."
SWF is pleased and proud to have contributed to this successful event and to the ongoing, collaborative efforts to ensure the sustainable and peaceful use of outer space. We were also excited to learn more about the depth and breadth of extraordinary talent available to Africa's growing space sector.