(VIENNA, 19/7/1999)
MR. CHAIRMAN,
FORTY YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE COMMITTEE ON THE PEACEFUL USES OF OUTER SPACE WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN 1959.
IN THE MEANTIME, TWO SPACE CONFERENCES HAVE BEEN HELD BY THE UNITED NATIONS, IN 1968 AND IN 1982.
SINCE 1982, THE WORLD HAS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND MANY GEOPOLITICAL CHANGES. FROM THE ORIGINAL NUMBER OF TWENTY-FOUR, THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE HAS RISEN TO 61 STATES.
THIS GROWTH HAS CONSIDERABLE IMPLICATIONS ON THE ACTIONS REQUIRED TO MEMBER STATES AND IN PARTICULAR TO INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES.ONLY THROUGH THE ENHANCEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CAN WE ATTAIN THE GOAL OF ADDRESSING REGIONAL OR GLOBAL PROBLEMS.
COUNTRIES THAT HAVE REACHED ALREADY LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE IN SPACE SCIENCE SHOULD COOPERATE WITH DEVELOPING NATIONS, IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN THE CAPABILITIES OF THE LATTER TO USE THE RESULTS OF SPACE RESEARCH FOR THEIR ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, AS RECALLED IN THE DECLARATION N. 51/122 ON INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN THE EXPLORATION AND USE OF OUTER SPACE FOR THE BENEFIT AND THE INTEREST OF ALL STATES, TAKING INTO PARTICULAR ACCOUNT THE NEEDS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
ALTHOUGH THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY IN THE LAST DECADES, MANY IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS REMAIN YET UNANSWERED.
NATURAL DISASTERS CAUSE ENORMOUS DAMAGE EACH YEAR EARTH OBSERVATION BY SATELLITES, FOR WHICH ITALY IS DEVELOPING THE SKYMED-COSMO CONSTELLATION (COOPERATION ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED WITH FRANCE, ARGENTINA AND CHINA) AND WHICH REPRESENTS ONE OF 'THE MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS ALSO IN THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ACTIVITIES, CAN HELP THEIR PREVENTION.
THE USE OF SATELLITES HAS LED TO EXTRAORDINARY TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES AND TO NEW TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS.AMONG THEM , BEING A HEART SURGEON, LET ME STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF TELEMEDICINE APPLICATIONS.
ITALY CO-SPONSORED WITH GERMANY A WORKSHOP ON SUCH TOPIC AND WILL PRESENT A STATEMENT IN THE RELEVANT SESSION.
THE EMERGENCE AND OUTBREAK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES CAN BE MONITORED THROUGH DATA COLLECTED FROM REMOTE SENSING SATELLITES, THUS SAVING THOUSANDS OF LIVES.
THE "SHARED" PROGRAMME I'S STRUCTURED AS A NETWORK WHICH STARTED ITS ACTIVITIES IN 1996 AND IS MANAGED BY T14E ITALIAN "TELBIOS" CONSORTIUM, WITH THE SUPPORT OF ESA (EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY) AND ASI (ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY).
IT IS IN FACT THE FIRST EUROPEAN INITIATIVE IN THIS FIELD, CONNECTING FIFTEEN HOSPITALS AND CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE IN ITALY WITH HOSPITALS IN SARAJEVO, TIRANA, BUCAREST, TUNIS AND DURRES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE HUMANITARIAN MISSION "ARCOBALENO" PROMOTED BY THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT.
THE FURTHER ENLARGEMENT OF THE NETWORK TO LEBANON, BRASIL AND LYBIA IS BEING CONSIDERED.
TELE-EDUCATION, TOGETHER WITH TELE-MEDICINE,DEFIN CONTRIBUTES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE EMBODIED IN THE 1966 COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS.
SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS HAVE EXPERIENCED AN EXTREMELY RAPID RATE OF GROWTH AND WILL FURTHER BOOST THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF BOTH DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. SATELLITE POSITIONING SYSTEMS WILL BE IN THE NEXT FUTURE ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING FIELDS AS FAR AS TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCEMENT IS CONCERNED AND WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE CREATION OF NEW JOBS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
ITALY HAS PARTICIPATED TO THE GNSS I(GLOHAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM), PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA) OF WHICH ITALY IS A MEMBER, AND IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE GNSS2-GALILEO PROGRAM, SINCE IT CONSIDERS THE EUROPEAN NAVIGATION INITIATIVE AS ONE OF ITS HIGHEST PRIORITIES.THIS FIELD WILL BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AS A TEST FOR THE SO CALLED "PUBLICPRIVATE PARTNERSHIP"; IN FACT ITALY CONSIDERS THAT T HE PRIVATE. INDUSTRY HAS TO BE MORE AND MORE INVOLVED IN THE GLOBAL SPACE INDUSTRY, GIVEN THE HIGH LEVEL OF INVESTMENTS REQUIRED AND THEIR CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTION IN TERMS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOW-HOW.
ITALY THEREFORE WARMLY WELCOMES THE REPRESENTATIVES OF SPACE INDUSTRY, THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME TAKE PART IN SUCH A CONFERENCE.
SPACE POLLUTION IS ALSO BECOMING A PROBLEM, BECAUSE OF THE GROWING NUM13ER OF SPACE ACTIVITIES AND THE PRODUCTION OF MAN-MADE DEBRIS ASSOCIATED TO IT.
ITALY HAS BEEN ADMITTED IN JULY 1998 TO THE INTER-AGENCY SPACE DEBRIS COORDINATION COMMITT EE AND IS IN FAVOUR OF THE ADOPTION OF METHODS FOR MONITORING THE SPACE DEBRIS ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSING THE RISKS CAUSED BY SPACE OBJECTS.
I AM FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER WILL BEAR THE MOST FRUITFUL RESULTS, IN THIS SENSE, ITALY IS SUPPORTING THE PARTICIPATION OF EXPERTS FROM CENTRAL EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN COUNTRIES (BULGARIA, GREECE, HUNGARY, POLAND, ROMANIA, SLOVAKIA AND TURKEY) TO THE ACTIVITIES OF THE OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS WHICH HAS LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NETWORK OF SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS. THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROJECT WILL ALSO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH.
TO THIS EXTENT, ITALY WILL INVITE SCIENTISTS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR TESTS TO BE MADE IN THE ISS, WITHIN THE SECTION ALLOTTED TO ITALY.
ITALY CONSIDERS THE TRAINING AND EDUCATION OF SPACE SPECIALISTS AND EXPERTS AN ACTIVITY OF THE GREATEST IMPORTANCE; TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES ARE PROVIDED, IN THE FRAME OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL BILATERAL AGREEMENTS OR TECHNICAL AGREEMENTS IN THE SPACE SECTOR, BY THE ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY.
IN THIS CONTEXT, MR. CHAIRMAN, LET ME WELCOME T14E TWO HUNDRED YOUNG DELEGATES FROM SIXTY-FIVE NATIONS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE SPACE GENERATION FORUM AND WISH THEM ALL THE BEST FOR THEIR WORK HERE IN VIENNA AND FOR THEIR FUTURE.
THE CONTINUOUS PROGRESS IN THE SCIENTIFIC FIELDS RELATED TO SPACE ACTIVITIES HAS TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY A GROWING PUBLIC AWARENESS, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL IN ORDER TO GATHER POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT, WHICH IN TURN IS A PRECONDITION FOR AN INCREASE IN PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SPACE PROGRAMS.
WE MUST FIND COMMON WAYS TO STIMULATE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF
THE BENEFITS THAT EVERYDAV LIFE DERIVES FROM THE SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS CONNECTED TO THE
SPACE INDUSTRY.
THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN