(2)
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DECLARATION ON INTERNATIONAL; COOPERATION IN
THE EXPLORATION AND USE OF OUTER SPACE FOR THE BENEFIT AND IN THE
INTEREST OF ALL STATES, TAKING INTO PARTICULAR ACCOUNT THE NEEDS
OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES(Adopted on December 13, 1996 as the Resolution
51/122 by the UN General Assembly)
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The
General Assembly,
Having
considered the report of the Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on the work of its thirty-ninth session1
and the text of the Declaration on International Cooperation in the Exploration
and Use of Outer Space for the Benefit and in the Interest of All States,
Taking into Particular Account the Needs of Developing Countries, as approved
by the Committee and annexed to its report,2
Bearing
in mind the relevant provisions of the Charter of
the United Nations,
Recalling notably the provisions of the Treaty on Principles Governing the
Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the
Moon and Other Celestial Bodies,1
Recalling
also its relevant resolutions relating to
activities in outer space,
Bearing
in mind the recommendations of the Second United
Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,3
and of other international conferences relevant in this field,
Recognizing the growing scope and significance of international cooperation
among States and between States and international organizations in the
exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes,
Considering experiences gained in international cooperative ventures,
Convinced of the necessity and the significance of further strengthening
international cooperation in order to reach a broad and efficient collaboration
in this field for the mutual benefit and in the interest of all parties
involved,
Desirous of facilitating the application of the principle that the
exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial
bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all
countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development,
and shall be the province of all mankind,
Adopts the Declaration on International Cooperation in the Exploration and
Use of Outer Space for the Benefit and in the Interest of All States, Taking
into Particular Account the Needs of Developing Countries, set forth in the
annex to the present resolution.
Annex
Declaration
on International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space
for
the Benefit and in the Interest of all States, Taking into Particular Account
the
Needs of Developing Countries
1. |
International cooperation in the
exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes (hereafter
"international cooperation") shall be conducted in accordance with the
provisions of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations
and the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the
Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial
Bodies. It shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all
States, irrespective of their degree of economic, social or scientific and
technological development, and shall be the province of all mankind. Particular
account should be taken of the needs of developing countries.
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2. |
States are free to determine all aspects of
their participation in international cooperation in the exploration and use of
outer space on an equitable and mutually acceptable basis. Contractual terms in
such cooperative ventures should be fair and reasonable and they should be in
full compliance with the legitimate rights and interests of the parties concerned
as, for example, with intellectual property rights.
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3. |
All States, particularly those with
relevant space capabilities and with programmes for the exploration and use of
outer space, should contribute to promoting and fostering international cooperation
on an equitable and mutually acceptable basis. In this context, particular
attention should be given to the benefit for and the interests of developing
countries and countries with incipient space programmes stemming from such
international cooperation conducted with countries with more advanced space
capabilities.
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4. |
International cooperation should be
conducted in the modes that are considered most effective and appropriate by
the countries concerned, including, inter
alia, governmental and non-governmental; commercial and non-commercial;
global, multilateral, regional or bilateral; and international cooperation
among countries in all levels of development.
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5. |
International cooperation, while taking
into particular account the needs of developing countries, should aim, inter alia, at the following goals,
considering their need for technical assistance and rational and efficient
allocation of financial and technical resources:
(a)
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Promoting the development of space science
and technology and of its applications;
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(b)
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Fostering the development of relevant and
appropriate space capabilities in interested States;
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(c)
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Facilitating the exchange of expertise and
technology among States on a mutually acceptable basis.
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6. |
National and international agencies,
research institutions, organizations for development aid, and developed and
developing countries alike should consider the appropriate use of space
applications and the potential of international cooperation for reaching their
development goals.
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7. |
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer
Space should be strengthened in its role, among others, as a forum for the
exchange of information on national and international activities in the field
of international cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space.
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8. |
All States should be encouraged to
contribute to the United Nations Programme on Space Applications and to other
initiatives in the field of international cooperation in accordance with their
space capabilities and their participation in the exploration and use of outer
space.
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1 Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-first Session, Supplement
No. 20 (A/51/20).
2 Ibid., annex IV.
3 See Report of the Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration
and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Vienna, 9-21 August 1982 and corrigenda
(A/CONF.101/10 and Corr. 1 and 2).
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