14 October 2008: During the debate on international
cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space by the Fourth Committee (Special
Political and Decolonization) of the 63rd General Assembly, Ciro Arévalo Yepes,
Chairman of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, underscored the
role space technology could play in addressing climate change, food security
and health.

He introduced the Report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of
Outer Space (document A/62/20) and noted that space applications provide
effective mechanisms for conducting environmental assessments, managing natural
resources, and providing early warning and disaster management tools. Yepes
explained that the Outer Space Committee, which recently entered a new chapter
and focused on development needs, had a new agenda item on space and climate
change. In the ensuing debate, several countries highlighted the need for a
closer link between the Outer Space Committee and the Commission on Sustainable
Development, and emphasized that space technologies were critical to the future
of all developing nations. [UN Press Release]