Draft minutes of the meeting

 

Implementation of the Recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on

the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III)

 

ACTION TEAM NO. 1

 

Develop a Comprehensive Worldwide Environmental Monitoring Strategy

 

Fifth Meeting, 19 February 2004, Vienna, Austria

 

 

1.              Fifth meeting of the action team #1, Develop a Comprehensive Worldwide Environmental Monitoring Strategy was held in Vienna, Austria on Thursday, 19 February 2004. The participants adopted the agenda of the meeting as contained in Annex I.

 

2.              The representatives from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Syria, Russian Federation, India, United Kingdom, Nigeria, UNODC, UNEP, and UN OOSA attended the meeting.

 

3.              Mr. Parviz Tarikhi from the Iran Space Agency, as the chairman of the meeting opened the meeting by welcoming the participants and expressing its gratitude for the effort put by the members particularly Russia, Syria and Iran for preparing the Report of the Action Team.

 

4.              The participants of the meeting adopted the draft minutes of the fourth meeting of the action team that was held on 13 June 2003 in the margins of the 46th COPUOS Meeting.

 

5.              A report on the activities of the team for the period from 13 June 2003 to 19 February 2004, was given by the co-chairman from I. R. Iran, Mr. Parviz Tarikhi.

 

6.              Open discussion conducted by the meeting on the report of the Action Team that was submitted to the STS-COPOUS last December. The Russian co-chair of the Action Team explained the details of the Report. The representatives from UK, UNEP, India, and Syria commented on the report.  

 

7.              On undertaking the demonstration and pilot projects related to environmental monitoring at national, regional and global levels the representatives from the United Kingdom, Russia, India and UNEP gave the comment. Developing the Desertification project considered as an important step in this regard.

 

8.              On the convening of a global conference with support by the United Nations it is announced that the conference will be held in conjunction with the XXth ISPRS Congress in July 2004, in Istanbul, Turkey. The chairman of the meeting invited all the members of the Action Team #1 to contribute for well organizing the conference. The co-chairs of the Action Team will negotiate with ISPRS representative and OOSA for organizing this conference.

 

9.              The team agreed to hold its sixth meeting in the margins of the next COPUOS meeting in June 2004. The time schedule of the meeting will be announced to the members after finalizing with OOSA. 

 


Annex I: Agenda of the meeting

 

Action Team Meeting for the Recommendation 1 of UNISPACEIII

“Develop a Comprehensive Worldwide Environmental Monitoring Strategy”

 

5th Meeting, Thursday, 19th February 2004

 

Conference Room VII, Vienna International Center, Vienna, Austria

09:00-12:00 hrs.

 

09:00           Opening and welcome remarks by a co-chairperson

 

09:05           Presentation of participants and election of the chairman of the meeting

 

09:15           Approval of the Agenda

 

09:20           Adoption of the minutes of the fourth meeting of the Action Team, held on 13 June 2003  

 

09:25           Report on the activities carried out since the fourth meeting by the Iranian co-chairperson of the action team

 

09:35           Open discussions on the Report of the Action Team submitted to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS based on the inputs from the members

 

10:20           Break

 

10:30           Discussion on the expected activities as agreed by the Action Team

                   (a) Undertaking demonstration and pilot projects related to environmental monitoring at national, regional and global levels,

 

10:50           Discussion on the expected activities as agreed by the Action Team

                   (b) Convening of a global conference with support by the United Nations (This conference based on the agreements will be held in conjunction with the XXth ISPRS Congress in July 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey, and the team members are expected to discuss the preparations for this conference at the fifth meeting of the Action Team)

 

11:40           Conclusions

 

11:55                     Next meeting: venue and date

 

12:00           Adjourn

Annex II: Progress Report of the Action Team No. 1 (by 23 January 2004)

 

Implementation of the recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

(UNISPACE III)

 

ACTION TEAM FOR RECOMMENDATION NO. 1

"Develop a comprehensive worldwide environmental monitoring strategy"

State(s) leading the action team

Iran, Syria, Russian Federation

 

Members

States:

Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, China, France, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Kingdom, United States of America.

 

Organizations:

European Space Agency (ESA),

International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS),

Manila Observatory,

Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC),

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division,

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP),

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE),

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),

United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP)

Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society (AEHMS).

 

Objectives

Address the needs and requirements for use and protection of environment through improvement and control methods approved by different countries, and develop a comprehensive worldwide environmental monitoring strategy for long-term global observations by building on existing space and ground capabilities.

 

Organizational structure

Iran, Syria and Russian Federation (joined other co-chairs since the 3rd Meeting of the Action Team on 20 February 2003), coordinates the activities of the action team jointly. The secretariat of the action team is in the Iranian Space Agency (former Iranian Remote Sensing Center) based in Tehran, Iran.

Principal products to be delivered

  • Undertake and demonstrate pilot projects related to, for example, environmental monitoring in national and regional as well as global levels
  • Host a global UN supported Conference on the subject in 2003 (?) which venue will be agreed by the members.
  • Preparing a report demonstrating the practical utility of space-based monitoring systems

 

Note: Assessment Report should

  1)   Analyze the current structure of environment monitoring by different countries and NGEs.

  2)   Develop a preliminary assessment of the establishment such a system technically and economically.

  3)   Clarify the benefits, advantages and disadvantages of such a strategy.

Propose a 2-year work plan beginning from March 2003 to conduct the efforts of the team.

 

Work plan

  • Establish Team: Contacts from Member States an 3rd parties  
                  •    Apr 02
  • Develop first draft of Preliminary Report                            Jun 03
  • Develop draft of Assessment Report                                  Oct 03
  • Develop and submit final draft Report                               Dec 03

 

 

Activities that have been carried out since the third action team meeting held on 20 February 2003

 

 

 

Since the fourth action team meeting held on 13 June 2003 on the margins of the 46th Meeting of Committee of the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), a report of which was presented to COPUOS, some activities have been carried out a detail of which is given below:

 

  • The Russian Federation, Syria and Iran jointly prepared the draft report of the action team for submitting to the Scientific and technical Subcommittee of COPUOS.

 

  • The negotiations carried out with the authorities of the XXth Congress of ISPRS and OOSA to hold the Action Team’s global conference in course of the Congress as a Special Session.

 

  • Following the agreement between the action team coordinators from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Republic of Syria and the Russian Federation, the secretariat of the action team continues its activities at the Iranian Space Agency (former Iranian Remote Sensing Center) based in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.  

 

  • The Fifth Action Team Meeting will be held in morning on Thursday 19 February 2004 on the margins of 41st STS-COPUOS Meeting. The agenda is as attached.

 

 

Measures that have been taken to encourage the participation of non-governmental entities

 

 

 

No particular commitment.

 

 

 

 

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1