Report on the 2022 IISL/ECSL Symposium
On the occasion of the 61st session of the Legal Subcommittee of United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) co-organized their annual space law symposium, devoted to relevant topics in the sector on 5 April 2022. This year’s edition addressed “National Laws and Regulations to ensure space sustainability” and was co-chaired by Kai-Uwe Schrogl, IISL President, and Sergio Marchisio, ECSL Chair, who also shared a special message from ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, filmed during his mission at the International Space Station, on the importance of space law.
Ensuring sustainable uses of space is one of the greatest challenges faced by contemporary international space law. The enactment of national laws and regulations in that regard represents a step forward towards effective management of sustainability. Nevertheless, domestic initiatives should also acknowledge emerging international principles and best practices, thus minimizing the risk of regulatory fragmentation.
After ten years of complex negotiations, in 2019 the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space adopted a set of 21 “Guidelines for Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities”, a foundational document providing international guidance on the policy and regulatory framework for space sustainability. The 2019 LTS Guidelines represent an excellent starting point, whose provisions now need to be widely implemented by relevant national and international actors. To ensure the sustainable uses of outer space, collaboration among all key stakeholders in the space community is required: not only national lawmakers and governments, but also companies and civil society at large, with special consideration for the young generations.
The 2022 edition of the IISL/ECSL Symposium dealt with the implementation of the 2019 LTS Guidelines, considering actions at the national and international level designed towards the achievement of space sustainability. The selected speakers represented perspectives from different space actors, pragmatically addressing current challenges and shared concerns. The event was held in a hybrid format, with some speakers connecting online and some joining from Board Room D at the Vienna International Centre. Furthermore, the symposium was streamed live.
This year’s speakers and topics were:
André Rypl, Ministry of Foreign Relations, Brazil: Global North/South Perspectives on Space Sustainability
Aarti Holla-Maini, Global Satellite Operator’s Association : A View from the Operators on Regulating Space Sustainability
Marco Ferrazzani, European Space Agency: National Laws on Space Sustainability: Fragmentation or Uniformization?
Jenni Tapio, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland: International Cooperation for Sharing National Legal Mechanisms and Best Practices
Ruvimbo Samanga, Agri Space Africa: The Role of the Young Generations in the Quest for Space Sustainability
The presentations by the experts can be found here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/copuos/lsc/2022/symposium.html
The Subcommittee once again noted with appreciation that the symposium had made a valuable contribution to its work and encouraged for the next edition to take place in March 2023. The IISL and ECSL are both observers at the Legal Subcommittee and continue to strive to bring together academic experts and leading practitioners in the field of space law, policy and regulation to discuss pressing issues and to propose solutions to the international community.
