For information only - not an official document

UNIS/MA/260
17 October 2019

MEDIA ADVISORY

Media representatives are invited to the

UNOOSA Special Event "Young minds meet space leaders: words into action" at the International Astronautical Congress in Washington D.C.

23 October 2019, 2.45 p.m. - 4.15 p.m.

Room 146A, International Astronautical Congress, Washington D.C., U.S.A.

VIENNA/WASHINGTON D.C., 17 October (United Nations Information Service) - The United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) invites media representatives to a special event featuring the winners of their Space4Youth competition. The event, titled "Young minds meet space leaders: words into action", will be held on Wednesday 23 October, from 2.45 p.m. to 4.15 p.m., in Room 146A at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Washington D.C.

The Space4Youth competition, launched in April 2019 by UNOOSA and the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), asked young people all over the world to provide examples of how space can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their community and ideas on how to further leverage its potential. Young people from over 40 countries participated in the competition and three winners were announced in June 2019.

At the event, the winners, Arthur Nielsen Demain from the Philippines, Milica Milosev from Serbia and Georgios Profitiliotis from Greece, will pitch their winning ideas on how to leverage space for advancing sustainable development to a panel of global space leaders who will act as mentors and support them in taking their projects to the next level.

The panel of space leaders will include:

• Simonetta Di Pippo (UNOOSA, Director)
• Pascale Ehrenfreund (German Aerospace Center (DLR), Chair of the Executive Board)
• Clementine Decoopman (SGAC, Executive Director)
• Josef Aschbacher (European Space Agency (ESA), Director of Earth Observation Programmes)
• Kai-Uwe Schrogl (International Institute of Space Law (IISL), President)
• Jean-Francois Clervoy (ESA, Astronaut)

More information on the Space4Youth competition can be found here: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/topics/space4youth/index.html

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Media accreditation:

Media representatives who wish to attend the ceremony and reception should write to: Silvia Antolino, International Astronautical Federation, email: silvia.antolino[at]iafastro.org and tel: (+33 1) 4567 5818.

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For more information, please contact:

Ottavia Pesce
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
Telephone: (+43 699) 1459 8718
Email: pesce[at]un.org