COPUOS

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) was set up by the General Assembly in 1959 to stimulate international co-operation in the peaceful uses of outer space and to set up programmes in this field to be undertaken under United Nations auspices. COPUOS is intended to encourage continuous research and the distribution of information on outer space matters, and to study legal problems arising from the exploration of the universe.

The Committee has two Subcommittees:

  • the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee
  • the Legal Subcommittee.

The Committee and its two Subcommittees meet each year separately. In a fortnight they consider questions put before them by the General Assembly (GA) and go into issues raised by the Member States. The Committee and the Subcommittees work on the basis of consensus and make recommendations to the GA.

The Scientific and Technical Subcommittee meets annually to discuss the consequences of scientific and technical progress in space matters. As part of its work for instance the Subcommittee makes recommendations to COPUOS and the GA regarding best use of satellites in avoiding global natural disasters, or advises on how problems with space debris (remainders of space objects in space) should be solved.

The Legal Subcommittee has created five general and multilateral international treaties like for example the Moon treaty and the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects. These treaties give guidance to important legal questions considering international space law.

The Netherlands and COPUOS

The Netherlands has been a member of COPUOS since 1977. During those years experts from The Hague have actively followed and participated in the meetings of COPUOS and its subcommittees. The Netherlands have ratified all five space treaties.

If you want more information about COPUOS please visit the website of COPUOS.