SatNews

Learn about ‘A Vibe Check on Space Security Diplomacy: Progress or More Spinning Wheels?’ at Secure World Foundation’s webinar

Strategic Stability in Space  An SM-3 missile launched from a U.S. Aegis warship,  courtesy U.S. Navy

The Secure World Foundation webinar on space security is just one week away. Space security discussions within the United Nations have been taking place since the early 1980s, although without much progress. Over the last several years there has been an attempt to reboot these discussions by shifting them from debating definitions and prohibitions on space weapons to discussions on broader space threats and responsible or irresponsible behavior.

In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted to convene an Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on “Reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours.” The OEWG on Reducing Space Threats held four week-long meetings across 2022 and 2023 that included more than seventy countries and featured some of the first substantive discussions on space security since the 2011 Group of Governmental Experts on Transparency and Confidence-building Measures in Outer Space Activities. The OEWG completed in August 2023 without having reached consensus on a summary report of their discussions, let alone agreement on ways to address these critical issues. Concurrently, the United States launched a new initiative with a voluntary moratorium on destructive direct ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile testing, which has since garnered additional pledges from 34 additional countries.

Here’s a quick recap of the event details of the Secure World Foundation webinar on space security is just one week away.

Radio Frequency Interference  Artist’s rendering of the Galaxy 15 satellite. Courtesy of Intelsat

Event Details:

The webinar will focus on the discussions around space security within the United Nations, including the recent Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Reducing space threats through norms, rules, and principles of responsible behaviors. It will also explore the topic of the voluntary moratorium on destructive direct ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile testing, among other important subjects.

Agenda

Part 1 – Recapping the UN OEWG on Reducing Space Threats (45 min):

  • Almudena Azcarate Ortega, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
  • Cláudio Medeiros Leopoldino, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Jessica West, Project Ploughshares
  • Moderator: Victoria Samson, SWF Washington Office Director

Part 2 – Why Countries Supported or Opposed the DA-ASAT Testing Moratorium (30 min):

  • Presenter: Ching Wei Sooi
  • Moderator: Dr. Brian Weeden, SWF Director of Program Planning

Part 3: Launch of New SWF Products on Multilateral Space Security Initiatives (15 min):

  • Brian Weeden, SWF Director of Program Planning

Please make sure to register now to secure your spot for the stream. You can register here.

If you wish to ask questions of the presenters, please join the StreamYard broadcast. If you require live captions, we will live stream the webinar on our YouTube channel, which supports captions. However, we will not be moderating questions through YouTube.

We’ll see you in one week!