With a growing number of young nations and the proliferation of private sector players developing space capabilities, the need for international co-operation and collaboration in the development of the space sector has never been more pressing. That’s the message behind a new global forum taking place later this year: the Abu Dhabi Space Debate.
Under the patronage of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Space Debate global forum will take place on the 5th and 6th December, 2022.
Organized by the UAE Space Agency, the two-day conference is set to form an important new global forum for the space industry, nations, business leaders and policy makers to come together and forge real consensus and address the issues facing growth and innovation in space, UAE national news agency WAM reported.
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “The UAE is proud to be hosting the Abu Dhabi Space Debate in December. The event is a platform to facilitate dialogue and aims to strengthen cooperation, formulate new international policies and develop solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the global space sector,” WAM added.
The Abu Dhabi Space Debate will provide a platform for leaders and policy makers from the space sector around the world to review the opportunities and challenges facing the sector, and aims to advance not only global dialogue and collaboration between nations but also forge concrete alliances, multilateral agreements and provide a platform to advance the sector as a whole.
Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, Chair of the UAE Space Agency and the Abu Dhabi Space Debate Committee, commented: “We are seeing a huge expansion in organizations developing space capabilities and potential, but that growth in the sector brings challenges, ranging from preservation of national interests through to the regulation of private sector players. The Abu Dhabi Space Debate aims to create a global platform that will bring together a diverse and challenging audience and forge concrete progress in advancing international co-operation, standards and policy-setting for the space sector.”
The Emirates’ space sector alone is a vibrant and fast-growing area of economic growth, with the country operating 19 Earth-orbiting satellites with a further ten satellites under development. With over 50 organizations and institutions and five research centers for space sciences and the development of a strong educational sector in space sciences, research and engineering, the Emirates has committed to long-term interplanetary exploration missions and the accelerated development of its emerging private sector space ecosystem.
“As we implement our long-term ambitions in space, the first steps of which are clearly outlined in our National Space Strategy 2030, we cannot over-emphasize the importance of international collaboration to our plans. Our space program has been built on such collaboration, with partners in Europe, South Korea, the US, Japan and elsewhere. We are keen to embrace international efforts to work together on common goals and objectives, and we are committed to supporting efforts from the Artemis Accords to the United Nations Guidelines for the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. This Debate will form an important element of that commitment,” Al Amiri noted.
The first edition of the Abu Dhabi Space Debate is set to gather leaders and policy makers in the public and private space sector from around the world and in particular China, Europe, India, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. With a proliferation of new nations eying space capabilities and a fast-growing global private sector developing, the new platform comes at an important time in the expansion and growth of the human exploration of space.
