N° 27–1999: UNISPACE III, an international conference on the peaceful uses of outer space

High-level government officials and policy-makers from the 185 Member States of the UN, heads of space agencies and representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations will gather at this international forum to exchange ideas on the direction of space activities, establish professional networks and explore commercial opportunities. Top executives from space-related firms will also attend the event.

UNISPACE III aims to foster a greater understanding and better use of space science and technology to assist and stimulate economic and social growth, particularly in developing countries. It is of great importance for the European Space Agency. ESA has, for many years, been a firm advocate for the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and on behalf of its Member States, is the largest contributor to the UN Space Applications programme.

ESA, together with its Member States, has played a key role in coordinating and securing significant European participation in this event of worldwide relevance.

UNISPACE III, an intergovernmental conference, will also feature over 40 workshops and several symposia, seminars and round tables. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Monday 19 July at the Austria Centre in Vienna (Hall A, 10:00-12:00 hrs). The Director General of ESA, Mr Antonio Rodota`, will address the audience at the plenary session on Tuesday 20 July (Hall A, 10:00-13:00 hrs).

ESA has also coordinated the organization of three workshops on Satellite Navigation, Disaster Management (in cooperation with the Japanese space agency - NASDA) and Intellectual Property and Space Activities.

An exhibition featuring global achievements in the field of space technology, current and future development tools, emerging technologies, and ongoing collaborative projects, will be held during the first week of the conference. The ESA stand will host a series of demonstrations, linked to the themes of the conference, with the main emphasis on satellite communication systems and Earth observation data exchange and their applications. The exhibition will start on Sunday 18 July at 11:00. It will be open to the public until Friday 23 July 12:00 hrs, except on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 July, which will be reserved for registered conference participants.

On Tuesday 20 July, ESA astronauts will be available at the conference for interviews with the media.

More information on the conference and programme can be found on the Internet at http://www.un.or.at/OOSA/

Media representatives wishing to attend the conference are kindly requested to follow the instructions given in the forms attached or to contact directly :

The Media Accreditation Assistant,
United Nations Information Service,
Vienna G0537 PO BOX 500,
A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Fax. + 43 1 21 346-3342