European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) conference organized jointly by SWF and International Academy of Astronautics (IAA)

The European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) is hosting a conference on “The Fair and responsible Use of Space: An International Perspective” from November 20 to 21 in Vienna, Austria. It is jointly organized with the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the Secure World Foundation (SWF). Selected international experts from various backgrounds give presentations and engage in discussions with the audience. Among them will be Dr. Ray Williamson, SWF Executive Director; Ben Baseley-Walker, SWF Legal and Policy Consultant; Agnieszka Lukaszczyk, SWF Consultant; Theresa Hitchens, SWF Partner; and Dr. Richard Tremayne-Smith and Gerard Brachet, both SWF Advisory Committee Members. Ray will be welcoming the conference attendees along with Dr. Kai-Uwe Schrogl (ESPI) and Jean-Michel Contant (IAA), as well as providing a summary at the conclusion of the event. Ben will deliver a talk on "The 'Paris Group' and the Way Forward," and Agnieszka will discuss "Involving the World's Youth" in matters of international space policy.

Following are details from the conference brochure:

"The conference aims at investigating how an equitable and responsible utilization of space can be achieved for all relevant actors. This is a particularly timely topic as space applications continue to become central to modern interactions and as more and more entities become involved in space activities. As a result, strategies to establish a coordinated, ethically justifiable and sustainable conduct in space activities have to be found. In this conference, the topic is broken down into three
parts: the first addressing current questions regarding the use of space; the second dealing with fair rules on orbit and the third discussing the way towards achieving truly global engagement on space security issues.

The workshop will outline the current space security situation, identify and analyze key challenges to the achievement of the fair and sustainable use of outer space, and formulate proposals for action. Following the conference, articles based on the
presentations given in Vienna will be compiled, edited and published in the ESPI Springer book series."