| Date | 9 December 2003 |
|---|
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Agenda item 82
International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space
Report of the Fourth Committee (A/58/471)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the two draft resolutions recommended by the Special Political and Decolonization Committee in paragraph 14 of its report.
Draft resolution I is entitled "International Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space". The Special Political and Decolonization Committee adopted draft resolution I without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
Draft resolution II is entitled "Review of the implementation of the recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space".
The Special Political and Decolonization Committee adopted draft resolution II without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
I call on the representative of Thailand, who wishes to speak in explanation of position following the adoption of the draft resolution.
Mr. Chindawongse (Thailand)
In July 1999, the United Nations held its Third Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), which set out a series of important and far-reaching recommendations. Having participated in that Conference, Thailand subsequently joined some of the action teams established to implement the recommendations of UNISPACE III. Those include action teams on disaster management and on knowledge-sharing through the promotion of universal access to space-based communication services.
Furthermore, Thailand also co-organized in November 2002, with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, the European Space Agency and France the second United Nations Regional Workshop in Bangkok on the Use of Space Technology for Disaster Management. Last September, Thailand also hosted in Bangkok a United Nations workshop on the contribution of space communication technology to bridging the digital divide.
With regard to matters related to the remote sensing of the Earth via satellite, including applications for developing countries and the monitoring of the Earth's environment, Thailand is also cooperating with a number of countries under the planned disaster-monitoring constellation. It is also worth mentioning that the Thailand ground receiving station has been providing satellite data to a number of countries in the region.
Those activities reflect Thailand's interest and readiness to participate actively and fully in the work of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. It is therefore our fervent hope that the resolution on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space (A/58/471), which was just adopted without a vote, will pave the way for the future enlargement of the Committee, taking into account the principle of equitable geographical distribution as well as previous work and accomplishments in the field. In so doing, we also hope that such enlargement would not preclude any interested State, including Thailand, from presenting its case to serve the Committee as a full member in the near future.
Furthermore, with the adoption of the resolution on the review of UNISPACE III, adopted without a vote, Thailand welcomes the decision made by the Assembly to conduct the review at its fifty-ninth session. Thailand looks forward to participating actively in that review.
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 82?
