It’s World Space Week, a UN event celebrating the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.
This year’s theme is space and sustainability, with a focus on how the technology can help us to better understand climate change.
Decades of developments in the space sector are being utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping countries to keep their citizens safe and economies on track, the head of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) said on Wednesday, in a speech to a virtual conference held by the world’s richest nations.
Transforming those who have suffered sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by UN personnel from victims into survivors, is the goal of the first-ever official appointed to advocate on their behalf. Jane Connors took up the post of UN Victims’ Rights Advocate in August and undertook her first field visit two months later. She has already visited the UN’s peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic (CAR), and this week she was in South Sudan. They are two of the four countries where the majority
Space-based applications and technologies are helping the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to deliver its projects in a faster, more efficient and safer way, according to a senior official there.
Bruce McCarron, Director of UNDP’s Office of Operations, Legal and Technology Services, said one example is the use of satellite imagery to monitor reconstruction of buildings in Mali that were destroyed by extremists.
The deadline is fast approaching for developing and emerging countries to get a chance to reach for the stars.
They are being encouraged to submit proposals for participation in the first-ever space mission that will contribute to global development efforts.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Sierra Nevada Corporation, an American company that supplies the space and aviation industries.
Dianne Penn has the story.
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Although high-resolution satellite images and other information derived from space-based technologies are critical to disaster response and recovery efforts, many governments believe these resources are out of their reach.
That’s according to an official with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) which helps developing countries to access this data via the United Nations Platform for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER).
With talk of missions to Mars and films such as “Hidden Figures” playing in cinemas across the world, outer space still remains a source of fascination for today’s youth.
That’s according to a representative of an NGO representing some 10,000 young people across the world.
Zihua Zhu, Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator for the Space Generation Advisory Council, is in Dubai this week for a conference looking at how the global space sector can contribute to development efforts.
Top officials from national space agencies, diplomats, academics, representatives from the private sector and others are meeting in Dubai this week to explore how they can help create a better world by 2030.
They are taking part in the second annual High Level Forum on Space as a Driver for Socio-economic Development organized by the United Arab Emirates and the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
Parental leave is smart for the economy and helps change minds
Could space science and technology be the tool to demolish the “gender ceiling” in Nigeria?
That’s the belief of a woman who was involved in the design and building of four satellites launched by the West African country.
Iroka Chidinma works for the National Space Research and Development Agency and is pursuing a PhD in atmospheric physics.
