For information only - not an official document

UNIS/OS/459
17 September 2015

UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and China National Space Administration Sign Agreement to Share Satellite Data for Disaster Risk Reduction

VIENNA/BEIJING, 17 September (UN Information Service) - The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) have signed a new agreement, through which Chinese satellite Earth Observation data will be harnessed to support the United Nations in the areas of disaster management and disaster risk reduction. The agreement, signed at a ceremony held in Beijing this past Sunday, is in line with commitments made under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which was adopted at The Third UN World Conference in Sendia, Japan in March 2015.

Under the new agreement UN-SPIDER, the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response, will benefit from increased collaboration with CNSA and, in particular, will have access to Chinese satellite imagery. From now on, Chinese satellites may be tasked with acquiring current imagery over specific areas of interest when relevant for the disaster management cycle. It is anticipated that the data will aid with the preparedness, mitigation and early warning actions for disaster risk reduction.

At the signing of the agreement, Simonetta Di Pippo, UNOOSA Director, said: "This agreement is crucial for the support OOSA provides worldwide towards disaster management, disaster risk reduction or environmental monitoring, and is also opening the path for more such agreements between the United Nations and governmental entities providing Earth observation imagery. In signing this agreement, the United Nations will have direct access to the satellite data from Chinese satellites for the benefit of all member states."

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UN-SPIDER, a programme under UNOOSA, aims to ensure that all countries and international and regional organizations have access to and develop the capacity to use all types of Space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle.

For more information about UN-SPIDER please visit: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/un-spider/index.html

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For further information, please contact:

Sinead Harvey
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-8718
Email: sinead.harvey[at]unoosa.org