Verifying the Prohibition on the Placement of Nuclear Weapons in Outer Space: Legal, Technical, and Policy Pathways

Secure World Foundation (SWF), in collaboration with the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), will co-host a side event during the October 2026 United Nations First Committee titled “Verifying the Prohibition on the Placement of Nuclear Weapons in Outer Space: Legal, Technical, and Policy Pathways.”

The event will take place on October 26, 2026, from 1:15–2:30 PM EDT at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Conference Room 9.

Building on a series of dialogues focused on verifying and implementing the Outer Space Treaty, the event will explore practical legal, technical, and policy approaches to verifying the presence or absence of nuclear weapons aboard satellites.

Discussions will highlight opportunities to strengthen compliance and transparency through space situational awareness, emerging verification technologies, commercial sector participation, and evolving state practices. These approaches could contribute to a layered verification and accountability framework that reinforces Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty and helps deter the placement of nuclear weapons in orbit.

The event will bring together perspectives on strengthening international cooperation, accountability, and the peaceful and secure use of outer space.

Lunch will be provided.