For information only - not an official document

UNIS/MA/146
23 September 2016

MEDIA ADVISORY

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs at the 67 th International Astronautical Congress

23 - 30 September 2016
Expo Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico

VIENNA, 23 September (UN Information Service) - The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) will be actively participating in the upcoming 67 th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico, to raise awareness of its work.

For the first time UNOOSA will have a booth at the IAC exhibition where visitors can learn about UNOOSA's activities and speak to UNOOSA staff. UNOOSA will hold a joint media briefing with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) about the first round of the KiboCUBE initiative as well as its upcoming second round. UNOOSA will also host a joint press conference with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to announce further details of the UNOOSA-SNC Dream Chaser ® space mission for United Nations Member States. Both events are open to IAC participants and accredited media.

UNOOSA Director, Simonetta Di Pippo, and UNOOSA staff will present a number of technical papers during the Congress. UNOOSA will host a Global Networking Forum (GNF) panel on UNISPACE+50 and the future of space. Ms Di Pippo will also speak at a Women in Aerospace (WIA) GNF panel on diversity and development, as well as a WIA breakfast event on space for women. Ms Di Pippo and Chief of UNOOSA's Space Applications Section Luc St-Pierre will speak at a GNF event for emerging countries.

The 25 th United Nations/International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Workshop on Space Technology for Socio-Economic Benefits will precede the IAC. The focus of this year's workshop is "Integrated Space Technologies and Applications for a Better Society". The workshop will bring together policy- and decision-makers from around the world to learn from international experts about how to use space science, technologies and their applications for sustainable economic, social and environmental development. The workshop will consist of roundtable discussions, technical and expert presentations, and a poster exhibit. The outcomes of the workshop will contribute to the UNISPACE+50 preparatory process.

UNISPACE+50 will be a special segment of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in June 2018. It will commemorate the 50 th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and set the future course of global space cooperation for the benefit of humankind.

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Details of UNOOSA-hosted events:

UN/IAF Workshop on Space Technology for Socio-Economic Benefits
Friday 23 to Sunday 25 September
Hilton Guadalajara
More information, including programme: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/schedule/2016/workshop_mexico_uniaf.html

UNOOSA booth at IAC exhibition
Monday 26 to Friday 30 September
Booth B3, Jalisco Room, Expo Guadalajara

UNOOSA-JAXA media briefing on first round of KiboCUBE initiative
Monday 26 September
5.30pm - 6.00pm
UNOOSA booth (booth B3), Jalisco Room, Expo Guadalajara
Speakers:
Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of UNOOSA
Koichi Wakata, JAXA International Space Station Programme Manager
Mwangia Mbuthia, University of Nairobi

UNOOSA-SNC press conference on Dream Chaser ® opportunities for United Nations Member States
Tuesday 27 September
11.00am - 11.45am
UNOOSA booth (booth B3), Jalisco Room, Expo Guadalajara
Speakers:
Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of UNOOSA
Mark Sirangelo, SNC corporate vice president for Space Systems

UNOOSA Global Networking Forum panel on UNISPACE+50 and the Future of Space
Wednesday 28 September
1.30pm - 2.30pm
Guadalajara Hall 8, Expo Guadalajara
Speakers:
Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of UNOOSA
David Kendall, Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of the Centre National d'études spatiales and incoming President of the IAF
Li Xinjun, Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization
Valanathan Munsami, Chair of the African Union Space Working Group

Technical papers:

UNOOSA staff will present the following technical papers on UNOOSA's activities:

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Follow @UNOOSA on Twitter for updates.

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Media representatives who would like to request interviews should contact:

Daria  Brankin
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) 
Telephone: +43 699 1459 8718
Email: daria.brankin[at]unoosa.org