Ekaterina Bannikova, Committee expert

Ekaterina Bannikova, Committee expert

SECURITY COUNCIL

PREVENTION OF AN ARMS RACE IN THE OUTER SPACE

INTRODUCTION

Today, space based technologies play an increasingly critical role in the maintenance and development of national and international infrastructures. It is assumed that the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, should be intended only for peaceful purposes and should be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries, not taking into consideration their degree of economic or scientific development. In order to keep it this way and prevent an arms race in outer space, further measures should be taken and appropriate international negotiations held. It is vital due to the fact that the prevention of an arms race in outer space would avert a grave danger for international peace and security.

HISTORY

It is worth noting that The UN has contributed a lot to in the interest of keeping space safe, stable and operational and has continued doing so ever since. In 1959, the UN General Assembly established the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in Resolution 1472 (XIV). The Committee was tasked with reviewing international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, studying space-related activities that could be undertaken by the United Nations, encouraging space research programmes, and studying legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space. International cooperation in space exploration and the use of space technology applications to meet global development goals are discussed in the Committee every year. Owing to rapid advances in space technology, the space agenda is constantly evolving. The Committee therefore provides a unique platform at the global level to monitor and discuss these developments.

During the 1960s and 1970s a number of agreements were adopted to prevent the weaponization of outer space. These include the Partial Test Ban Treaty, formally titled the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water (1963), the Outer Space Treaty, formally titled the Treaty on the Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1967), the Rescue Agreement, formally titled the Agreement on theRescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space (1968), the Agreement Relating to the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization " Intelsat" (1971), the Liability Convention, formally titled the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (1972), the Launch Registration Convention, formally titled the Convention on the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (1975), the Moon Agreement, formally entitled the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies(1979). Still, many states argued that existing treaties are insufficient for safeguarding outer space as “the common heritage of mankind. ” In order to address this, the final document of the UN General Assembly’s Special Session on Disarmament mandated that negotiations should take place in what is now the Conference on Disarmament (CD), “in order to prevent an arms race in outer space” that are “held in accordance with the spirit of the [Outer Space Treaty]. ”

Since then, the issues that arise in PAROS have been continually discussed by the international community through the United Nations General Assembly First committee, the Conference on Disarmament, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), the UN General Assembly Fourth committee, and the International Telecommunications union, among others.

In 1985 the CD established an ad hoc committee to identify and examine issues relevant to PAROS such as the legal protection of satellites, nuclear power systems in space, and various confidence-building measures. The Ad Hoc Committee continued the examination and identification of various issues, existing agreements and existing proposals, as well as future initiatives relevant to the prevention of an arms race in outer space, and that this contributed to a better understanding of a number of problems and to a clearer perception of the various positions. The United States opposed giving the committee a negotiating mandate, preferring bilateral talks with the Soviet Union. The committee convened each year through 1994. No further committee meeting occurred due to objections made by the United States. In 1990 the United States announced that it “has not identified any practical outer space arms control measures that can be dealt within a multilateral environment. ” With its large missile defense program and technical advantages in potential space weaponry, the United States has consistently refused to negotiate PAROS in the CD.

Russia and China have, despite the CD’s deadlock, continued to push for the CD to negotiate measures related to PAROS. In 2002, they submitted a joint working paper on “Possible Elements for a Future International Legal Agreement on the Prevention of the Deployment of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force Against Outer Space Objects. ” And in 2008, Russia and China submitted a draft treaty for a ban on weapons in outer space to the CD, based on the elements outlined in their 2002 working paper. An updated draft was introduced to the CD on 10 June 2014.

The United Nations’ new Space2030 agenda has been developed as a new strategy for international space development in contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The strategy has been set forth to ensure all Member States benefit equally from the exploration and development of outer space, to assist in emerging space states to build capacity, to make sure that outer space remains peaceful and weapon-free, to help mitigate risks from near-Earth objects and debris, and to aid the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

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