UN, World Economic Forum launch bid to govern outer space

The World Economic Forum (WEF) Monday announced its support for a recent United Nations proposal to allow the UN to regulate space.

The proposal, written as a policy brief for the UN’s Our Common Agenda compendium, hopes to gain control of the global space industry which the UN expects to surpass $737 billion by 2030. Such a prospect is “for the benefit of all,” says the WEF.

In the policy brief, written by UN Secretary-General António Gutteres, the UN aspires to regulate space traffic. Satellites, rockets and other space objects continue to populate space, and the UN fears these objects will collide.

The UN also aims to govern how space is used and which resources can be used for which purpose.

“There is not an agreed international framework on space resource exploration, exploitation and utilization, or a mechanism to support its future implementation,” lamented Guterres.

There is also a great need “to prevent any extension of armed conflict into outer space and to prevent the weaponization of outer space,” continued the secretary-general. 

Furthermore, spacefarers must be more “diverse and inclusive” and partial to women, who the UN says make up less than 20% of the space workforce.

But all these challenges can be solved, the UN promises, because its “effective governance of outer space will enable a renewed spirit of inspiration and discovery for humanity, and will inspire a new generation of spacefarers.”

Like the UN, the WEF also expressed excitement about the UN using space technology to further its Sustainable Development Goals — over a dozen climate-centric objectives for reforming societies around “climate change.” 

“[S]pace technology and applications are crucial for effective climate action, including climate change monitoring, weather forecasting, disaster management and response, mapping and monitoring natural and protected areas, monitoring illegal fishing, assessing marine and coastal health and identifying algal blooms,” said the UN report.

The WEF added that there are other benefits to space technology.

“Other areas in which space technology can be used include urban planning and helping in the creation and operation of smart, sustainable cities,” the WEF added.

These “benefits to humanity”, as the WEF refers to UN space regulations, “are the driving force behind the push for new measures.”