GMES and Africa shares the African Union Commission perspective at an international workshop on Space security

The workshop is about the African Perspectives for Advancing Space Security through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behaviors. The invitation also points the increasing capacity of the AU in Space matters, more and more recognized worldwide.

Night on the Earth and satellite in the space. City lights on planet. Civilization. Elements of this image furnished by NASA @Shutterstock

The GMES and Africa Coordinator, Dr. Tidiane Ouattara, is representing the African Union Commission at a Space Security Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Ouattara is also a panelist at the workshop which centers on African Perspectives for Advancing Space Security through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behavior. 

Group photo

Co-organized by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), the Kenyan Space Agency, the United Kingdom, and the Secure World Foundation, the workshop is to raise awareness of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on “reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviors” among States of the Africa region. It is also intended to foster a better understanding of regional perspectives on space security.

The brief that introduces the workshop on the Space World Foundation website emphasizes how "Space is increasingly critical to modern life on Earth". Space is an infinite universal asset which requires protection for collective global security. With its increasing economic and strategic importance, stakeholders are conscious of the potential for Space to generate tensions among the Space actors.

The African Union is repositioning the continent as a vibrant and influential stakeholder in global Space matters. Earlier this year, the AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Belhocine, signed a host agreement with the Egyptian Government on the African Space Agency. https://gmes4africa.blogspot.com/2023/01/auc-signs-host-agreement-for-afsa.html 


UNIDIR is an autonomous institution within the United Nations that conducts independent research on disarmament and related problems, particularly international security issues, https://unidir.org/



Source Secure World Foundation, https://swfound.org/events/2023/african-perspectives-for-advancing-space-security-through-norms-rules-and-principles-of-responsible-behaviours-workshop

Read also the report of "Space In Africa", https://opportunities.africanews.space/attend-the-african-perspectives-for-advancing-space-security-through-norms-rules-and-principles-of-responsible-behaviours-workshop/, and have access to more