SWF Statement – UN COPUOS LSC, Agenda Item 4: NGO Activities in Space Law and Sustainability (June 2021)

Secure World Foundation reports on its broad range of initiatives supporting legal capacity building, policy development, and global cooperation to promote the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space. Notable highlights include:

• Summit for Space Sustainability:
  Hosted its second Summit in September 2020, gathering 500+ participants from around the world to address space commercialization, security, spectrum management, and norms of responsible behavior. The 2021 Summit was announced for June 22–24.
• Handbook for New Actors in Space:
  Continued wide distribution with translations into Spanish, French, and Chinese. Free PDF versions made globally accessible to assist new governmental and non-governmental actors.
• Legal Advisory Project:
  SWF is a founding funder (alongside Belgium, Chile, Luxembourg) of UNOOSA’s Legal Advisory Project, which supports emerging space nations in drafting national legislation in line with international space law.
• International Partnerships & Outreach:
  • Co-organized the Bermuda Space Sustainability Workshop with the Government of Bermuda.
  • Partnered with the University of Colorado Boulder on the Space Sustainability Initiative.
  • Continued collaboration with Caelus Foundation and Chinese Society of Astronautics to host ongoing US–China space commercialization dialogues.
• Support for LTS Guideline Implementation:
  Hosted a panel during the 57th STSC session on international cooperation for LTS Guidelines. Drew from real-world “teachable moments” to analyze best practices for multilateral adoption.
• Lunar Governance Engagement:
  Partnered with Open Lunar Foundation and others for the Moon Dialogues series on lunar governance. SWF also has staff participating in the Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA), and previously contributed to The Hague Working Group on space resource governance.

The statement concludes by reaffirming SWF’s dedication to supporting COPUOS’s mission and its ongoing promotion of secure, cooperative, and sustainable space activities.