Mr. Daniel Porras
on GLOBAL SPACE GOVERNANCE
Global Space Governance (Governance) is the framework by which space activities are (or are not) managed. Governance is the set of boundaries for acceptable and unacceptable behaviours in space that includes both formal rules and informal norms, not unlike the way management of human activities on Earth. In the case of Governance, it formed officially and unofficially, sometimes through explicit agreements, and sometimes through repeated actions that become norms over time. A myriad of stakeholders give shape to Governance, including governments, private companies and even users.
The most explicit pillars of Governance are the five major United Nations treaties on outer space. These agreements were negotiated by Member States, contain obligations and benefits, and can be enforced if States so choose. Here, the major stakeholders involved in the deliberations were governments, each seeking to ensure their own national interests while striking a balance with the interests of others. This fundamental tenet of international relations has existed for centuries and is now applied to human activities in outer space.
Global Space Governance (Governance) is the framework by which space activities are (or are not) managed. Governance is the set of boundaries for acceptable and unacceptable behaviours in space that includes both formal rules and informal norms, not unlike the way management of human activities on Earth. In the case of Governance, it formed officially and unofficially, sometimes through explicit agreements, and sometimes through repeated actions that become norms over time. A myriad of stakeholders give shape to Governance, including governments, private companies and even users.
The most explicit pillars of Governance are the five major United Nations treaties on outer space. These agreements were negotiated by Member States, contain obligations and benefits, and can be enforced if States so choose. Here, the major stakeholders involved in the deliberations were governments, each seeking to ensure their own national interests while striking a balance with the interests of others. This fundamental tenet of international relations has existed for centuries and is now applied to human activities in outer space.
The United Nations is the main institution in which States can discuss cross-cutting challenges and work out multilateral solutions. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is composed of 193 Member States (as of 2012). Six permanent committees help the UNGA manage its work on global issues; for space matters, two committees are especially important. The First Committee deals with disarmament and security matters and the Fourth Committee focuses on special political matters, including outer space. The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is the UN body responsible for developing policies related to outer space on behalf of the UN Member States. It does not deal with military space issues. COPUOS reports each year to the UNGA via the Fourth Committee. The Office of Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) is the secretariat for COPUOS and carries out COPUOS policies as part of the larger UN Secretariat.
The Conference on Disarmament (CD), which is not a UN organization but works under the UN auspices, is the international forum for work on disarmament, and therefore the body responsible for matters related to weapons in space and other space security issues. The CD reports its annual findings to the UNGA via the First Committee.
In addition to international agreements, individual countries must also pass national/domestic rules and regulations to govern the activities of their nationals, and to implement the obligations found in the outer space treaties. In recent years, private actors emerged as the predominant source of space activities, so national regulations and procedures are needed for activities such as launch services, on-orbit operations and end-of-life disposal.
Private actors – including commercial entities, academic institutions and even individuals – also play a unique role in the development of a Governance. Many international and national institutions (including the UN, the International Telecommunications Union and many national regulators) have processes by which private actors can provide input into the form of regulations and policies. Private actors also seek ways to regulate themselves, creating associations and forums where best-practices and standards of behaviour can be agreed upon by actors themselves. This bottom-up approach can circumscribe the need for government oversight, creating an alternative method for developing and influencing the Governance framework.
GLOBAL SPACE GOVERNANCE
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