Angola was chosen as one of the five new countries to be part of the Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), according to a press release from the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication (MINTTICS), which MenosFios had access to.
The choice of our country for that order is a decision and approval of the General Assembly of the United Nations (AGNU).
Speaking to journalists, Zolana Rui João, director general of the National Space Program Management Office (GGPEN), says that Angola’s entry into COPUOS is the result of international recognition, at the highest level, as well as the effort made by the Angolan Executive in implementing the National Space Strategy.
Also according to the public manager, within the framework of the objectives and general guidelines established by the National Space Strategy 2016-2025, the instrument that governs space activities in Angola, Axis 4 aims at the international affirmation of the Angolan State in the space domain, and the its main purpose is to ensure that Angola assumes a relevant role in the international context in terms of space.
"The country has invested in training staff in the space area, at the best universities in the sector at an international level. In the area of space education dissemination, we have actively participated in World Space Week, an international celebration of the contribution of space science and technology to the improvement of the human condition, declared by the United Nations as being, annually, the week from 4 to 10 October”, says the leader.
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It should be noted that in addition to the recent choice of Angola to be part of (COPUOS), our country was also recently admitted as a member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), which is the world's leading space body, with 407 members in 71 countries, including all major space agencies, companies, research institutions, universities, societies, associations, institutes and museums across the world. world.
According to our newsroom, COPUOS is the United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space, a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly, founded in 1959, shortly after the launch of the Russian satellite Suptnik. This institution remains the main international space forum, with 100 Member States, which makes it one of the committees with the most members of the UN.
COPUOS, in addition to reviewing the scope of international cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space, promotes the incentive to continue research and dissemination of information on space issues and to study the legal problems arising from space exploration.
As a member of COPUOS, reveals the GGPEN, Angola will be able to contribute to international discussions and decisions on space matters, get in touch with various international players in the space field and reinforce its presence in the international context. Additionally, by participating in COPUOS working groups, our country will contribute to the definition of international policies and ensure that they respect the needs and interests of Angola.
Finally, adds the Angolan public institutional body, one of the benefits of a country becoming a full-fledged Member State of COPUOS is that the State will receive a formal invitation to the sessions, and can, likewise, contribute to the work of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies through written reports. In short, participating fully in the work of this intergovernmental body and benefiting from training at COPUOS regional centers for education in space sciences and technologies.
