Space for Human and Environmental Security in the Americas: Space policy, Long-term Sustainability and Cyber-health

When: Monday, April 23, 2012

to Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Where: Room José Ma. Morelos, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Mexico D.F.

Introduction

The Forum "Space for Human and Environmental Security in the Americas: Space policy, Long-term sustainability and Cyber- Health" will be held from 23 to 25 April 2012 at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (SRE) of Mexico, Room José María Morelos. The Forum is being organized by the Ministry in its role as Pro Tempore Secretariat of the VI Space Conference of the Americas (PTS-VI SCA); the Mexican Space Agency (AEM), the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (CRECTEALC), affiliated to the United Nations, and Secure World Foundation (SWF).

Background

Daily life activities and long-term sustainable development of the world depend to a significant extent on the use of Earth observation, communication and navigation and positioning satellites. Thus, the long-term sustainability of activities in outer space is intrinsically linked to better living conditions on Earth. National space policies that include the protection of current and future satellites and of the electromagnetic frequency bands in which they operate are needed. In addition, promoting the alignment of existing and future national space policies with the international legal regime on outer space and identifying common space application and research areas facilitates international and regional cooperation. The VI Space Conference of the Americas identified a number of application areas in which projects of interest to many countries in the Americas could be implemented.

Given the evident importance of human health in the region of the Americas, Cyber- Health (Tele-medicine, Tele-health, E-mobiles, Tele-education, Tele-epidemiology) is an area in which regional cooperation in the use of space technology can strengthen national capacities to provide health services, particularly to rural and isolated populations. Since the adoption of the Pachuca Declaration of the VI Space Conference of the Americas, the PTS-VI SCA, with the support of the recently created Mexican Space Agency and the participation of experts from several countries of the region, has developed a proposal for a regional Cyber-Health project. In June of 2011, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Public Health Agency Canada organized a Workshop on Space Technology for Public Health Actions in the Context of Climate Change Adaptation as a follow up to the final report of the Action Team on Public Health of the Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). The recommendations of the Workshop, presented to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS during its session in February 2012, offer a good opportunity to create synergies with the proposed Cyber-Health project.

Objectives

The objectives of the Forum are to:

  1. Promote space policies that support the long-term sustainability of activities in outer space as essential elements of sustainable development on Earth;
  2. Develop a the road map for the participation of all countries of the Americas in the Project Cyber-Health, identifying actions that could be taken in the Context of Climate Change Adaptation; and
  3. Exchange of information on national space policies and the possible identification of space application areas of common interest to countries from within and outside the Americas.

Participants will be informed of the ongoing work on the long-term sustainability of activities in outer space in COPUOS and other international fora and will discuss ways in which recommendations by their institutions to their governments can support those efforts. The Forum will review space applications that are critical for human security in a broad context, such as in food production, protection of the environment and disaster management.

Through dialogue roundtables that will deal with the thematic areas of the Forum, participating experts will share their visions regarding the immediate future of the space and national development agendas in the Americas.

Languages:

The working languages will be English and Spanish with simultaneous interpretation.

Thematic areas:
  • Space policy

- Aligning national space policies with the UN Outer Space treaties

- Towards harmonized hemispherical space agendas and policies

- Long-term sustainability of space activities

  • Space and its relationship with cyber-health

- Space and the importance of human health in the region

- A regional agenda for cyber-health

- Governmental, institutional and public sector support for cyber-health

  • Space for a safer tomorrow

- The use of space technology for food, energy and socio-economic security

- Climate change and the importance of space

- Space and national security

Programme

Read the programme in  english and in  spanish.

Media

Watch the event coverage in spanish here.

Presentations


For more information contact Ray Williamson, rwilliamson@swfound.org

Last updated on December 11, 2013