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Scientific and Technical Subcommittee: 2004
Forty-first session
(16-27 February 2004)

Provisional agenda

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A/AC.105/C.1/
L.270
------ Provisional�agenda for the forty-first session
(includes indicative schedule of work)
PDF-A PDF-C PDF-E PDF-F PDF-R PDF-S

Table of contents

1. ���Adoption of the agenda.

2. ���Election of the Chairman.

3. ���Statement by the Chairman.

4. ���General exchange of views and introduction to reports submitted on national activities.

5. ���United Nations Programme on Space Applications.

6. ���Implementation of the recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III).

7. ���Matters relating to remote sensing of the Earth by satellite, including applications for developing countries and monitoring of the Earth�s environment.

8. ���Space debris.

9. ���Use of nuclear power sources in outer space.

10. ���Space-system-based telemedicine.

11. ���Examination of the physical nature and technical attributes of the geostationary orbit and of its utilization and applications, including, inter alia, in the field of space communications, as well as other questions relating to developments in space communications, taking particular account of the needs and interests of developing countries.

12. ���Implementation of an integrated, space-based global natural disaster management system.

12. ���Mobilization of financial resources to develop capacity in space science and technology applications.

13. ���Solar-terrestrial physics.

14. ���Draft provisional agenda for the forty-second session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee.

15. ���Report to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.


II. Annotations*

2. Election of the Chairman

In paragraph 12 of its resolution 58/89 of 9 December 2003, the General Assembly agreed that the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its Subcommittees, at the beginning of their sessions in 2004, should conduct the election of the officers agreed upon by the Committee at its forty-sixth session. At that session the Commission agreed that Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu (Romania) would be elected Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee.

3. Statement by the Chairman

Following his election, the Chairman will make a statement reviewing developments of relevance to the work of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee that have taken place since its fortieth session. After the Chairman�s statement, the Subcommittee will organize its schedule of work.

4. General exchange of views and introduction to reports submitted on national activities

The annual written reports submitted by Member States on their space activities will be made available to the Subcommittee (A/AC.105/816). It was suggested, as a general guideline, that statements under this agenda item should be roughly 5-10 minutes in length (see A/AC.105/786, para. 16).

In paragraph 40 of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly invited the Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities to report to the Subcommittee on the work conducted at its annual session. The report of the Inter-Agency Meeting on the work of its twenty-fourth session, in 2004, will be before the Subcommittee (A/AC.105/818).

5. United Nations Programme on Space Applications

In paragraph 19 of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly agreed that the Subcommittee should reconvene the Working Group of the Whole to consider the United Nations Programme on Space Applications.

The views of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space regarding the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, including activities for the period 2003-2004, are set out in the report on its forty-sixth session.1 paragraph 22 of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly endorsed the United Nations Programme on Space Applications for 2004, as proposed to the Committee by the Expert on Space Applications (see A/AC.105/790 and Corr.1, sects. II-IV).

The Subcommittee will have before it the report of the Expert covering the implementation of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications during 2003 and 2004 and including a listing of States contributing to the Trust Fund for the United Nations Programme on Space Applications (A/AC.105/815).

The Subcommittee will also have before it the following reports on training courses, symposiums and workshops held in 2003 under the auspices of the Programme:

    (a) Report on the Thirteenth United Nations/Sweden International Training Course on Remote Sensing Education for Educators, held in Stockholm and Kiruna, Sweden, from 5 May to 13 June 2003 (A/AC.105/807);
    (b) Report on the United Nations/Romania/European Space Agency Regional Workshop on the Use of Space Technology for Disaster Management in Europe, held in Poiana Brasov, Romania, from 19 to 23 May 2003 (A/AC.105/808);
    (c) Report on the United Nations/European Space Agency Workshop on Remote Sensing Applications and Education, held in Damascus from 29 June to 3 July 2003 (A/AC.105/809);
    (d) Report on the United Nations/Thailand Workshop on the Contribution of Space Communication Technology to Bridging the Digital Divide, held in Bangkok from 1 to 5 September 2003 (A/AC.105/810);
    (e) Report on the United Nations/Austria/European Space Agency Symposium on Space Applications for Sustainable Development: Supporting the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Graz, Austria, from 8 to 11 September 2003 (A/AC.105/811);
    (f)Report on the United Nations/International Astronautical Federation Workshop on Education and Capacity-Building in Space Technology for the Benefit of Developing Countries, with Emphasis on Remote Sensing, held in Bremen, Germany, from 25 to 27 September 2003 (A/AC.105/812);
    (g) Report on the Fourth United Nations/International Academy of Astronautics Workshop on Small Satellites in the Service of Developing Countries: a Contribution to Sustainable Development, held in Bremen, Germany, on 30 September 2003 (A/AC.105/813).

6. Implementation of the recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III)

In paragraph 19 of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly agreed that the Subcommittee should reconvene the Working Group of the Whole to consider implementation of the recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III).

In paragraph 28 of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly noted with satisfaction the work conducted by the 12 action teams that the Committee had established at its forty-fourth and forty-sixth sessions under the voluntary leadership of Member States to implement the recommendations of UNISPACE III and urged Member States to provide full support to the action teams in conducting their work. The final reports submitted by the action teams will be made available to the Subcommittee for consideration.

In paragraph 29 of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly noted with satisfaction that the Committee had made further progress in the preparation of its report for submission to the Assembly, in order for the Assembly to review and appraise, at its fifty-ninth session, in 2004, in accordance with paragraph 16 of its resolution 54/68 and resolution 58/90, the implementation of the outcome of UNISPACE III and to consider further actions and initiatives.

Pursuant to paragraph 30 of General Assembly resolution 58/89, the Working Group established by the Committee to prepare the above-mentioned report will hold informal consultations during the forty-first session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee to advance the preparation of the report.

The Subcommittee will review the draft of sections I-VI, except for the parts of sections III, V and VI dealing with space law.2 The draft of those sections will be before the Subcommittee (A/AC.105/C.1/L.272 and addenda).

7. Matters relating to remote sensing of the Earth by satellite, including applica-tions for developing countries and monitoring of the Earth�s environment

In paragraph 16 (a) of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation of the Committee that the Subcommittee consider this item at its forty-first session. The views of the Committee are set out in the report on its forty-sixth session.3

8. Space debris

In paragraph 16 (b) of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation of the Committee that the Subcommittee consider this item in accordance with the work plan adopted by the Subcommittee at its thirty-eighth session (A/AC.105/761, para. 130). According to the work plan, the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) will continue to present to the Subcommittee its proposals on debris mitigation (as required), based on consensus among IADC members, to the Subcommittee at its forty-first session. Member States should continue to review the IADC proposals on debris mitigation.

In paragraph 20 of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly agreed that the Subcommittee could establish a working group to consider comments from member States of the Committee on the proposals on debris mitigation presented by IADC to the Subcommittee at its fortieth session. Comments received from member States of the Committee will be made available.

Pursuant to paragraph 33 of General Assembly resolution 58/89, the Subcommittee will have before it a note by the Secretariat on national research on space debris, the safety of space objects with nuclear power sources on board and problems relating to their collision with space debris, containing information received by the Secretariat from Member States (A/AC.105/817).

9. Use of nuclear power sources in outer space

In paragraph 16 (b) of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation of the Committee that the Subcommittee, at its forty-first session, consider this item in accordance with the work plan adopted by the Subcommittee at its fortieth session (A/AC.105/804, annex III). In paragraph 21 of its resolution 58/89, the Assembly agreed that the Subcommittee should reconvene its Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space. According to the work plan, at its forty-first session, the Subcommittee should:

    (a) Review information from national and regional space agencies on the content of relevant national (including bilateral and multilateral) space nuclear power source (NPS) programmes and applications planned or currently foreseeable;
    (b) Review information from national and regional space agencies on the applications enabled or significantly enhanced by space NPS;
    (c) Review the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)-specific processes and mechanisms (including their time frame, resources and administrative requirements) that the Agency could use to participate with the Subcommittee in developing space NPS technical safety standards;
    (d) Prepare a draft outline of the objectives, scope and attributes for an international technically based framework of goals and recommendations for the safety of planned and currently foreseeable space NPS applications;
    (e) Prepare a draft set of potential implementation options for establishing an international technically based framework of goals and recommendations for the safety of planned and currently foreseeable space NPS applications;
    (f) If appropriate, make a preliminary decision on whether to recommend co-sponsorship with IAEA of a technical standard development effort starting in 2006.

In accordance with the work plan for 2003, the Office for Outer Space Affairs and IAEA jointly prepared, as requested by the Subcommittee, possible organizational plans (A/AC.105/C.1/L.268) providing for: (a) potential co-sponsorship of an effort to develop an international space NPS technical safety standard; and (b) potential IAEA advice to the Subcommittee in the preparation of such a standard.

Relating to subitems (e) and (f) above, the Subcommittee will have before it a working paper submitted by the Chairman of the Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space containing options for establishing an international technically based framework of goals and recommendations for the safety of planned and currently foreseeable NPS applications (A/AC.105/C.1/L.271).

10. Space-system-based telemedicine

In paragraph 16 (b) of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation of the Committee that the Subcommittee, at its forty-first session, consider this item in accordance with the work plan adopted by the Committee at its forty-sixth session.4 According to the work plan, the Subcommittee will hear presentations by member States on the status of telemedicine applications in general and space-based telemedicine applications in particular in use in their countries, as well as presentations on commercially available telemedicine systems and their use of space systems.

11. Examination of the physical nature and technical attributes of the geostationary orbit and of its utilization and applications, including, inter alia, in the field of space communications, as well as other questions relating to developments in space communications, taking particular account of the needs and interests of developing countries

In paragraph 16 (c) of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation of the Committee that the Subcommittee consider this item, at its forty-first session, as a single issue and item for discussion.

12. Implementation of an integrated, space-based global natural disaster management system

In paragraph 16 (c) of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation of the Committee that the Subcommittee consider this item, at its forty-first session, as a single issue and item for discussion.

13. Solar-terrestrial physics

In paragraph 16 (c) of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation of the Committee that the Subcommittee consider this item, at its forty-first session, as a single issue and item for discussion.

14. Draft provisional agenda for the forty-second session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee

In paragraph 17 of its resolution 58/89, the General Assembly noted that the Subcommittee at its forty-first session would submit its proposal to the Committee for a draft provisional agenda for the forty-second session of the Subcommittee. In accordance with an agreement reached by the Committee at its forty-second session, discussion under this item should include identification of subjects to be dealt with as single issues and items for discussion or under multi-year work plans.5 Pursuant to paragraph 19 of resolution 58/89, this item will be considered by the Working Group of the Whole, to be reconvened at the forty-first session of the Subcommittee.

Symposium on small satellite applications in agriculture, health and human security

Pursuant to paragraph 18 of resolution 58/89, a symposium to strengthen the partnership with industry will be organized. The symposium will address small satellite applications in agriculture, health and human security and will be held on the afternoons of 16 and 17 February 2004.

Notes

*�The annotations are not part of the agenda to be adopted by the Subcommittee.


1� Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/58/20), paras. 69-84.


2� Ibid., annex I, para. 20.


3� Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 20 (A/58/20), paras. 103 and 104.


4� Ibid., para. 138.


5� Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 20 and corrigendum (A/54/20 and Corr. 1), annex I, sect. A.


 
 
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