The Norwegian Delegation

Statement during the Plenary Debate of UNISPACE III

Vienna, 20 July 1999

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me first of all say that Norway fully associates itself with the statement given by the European Union yesterday.

Mr. President, as an active participant in the space community, notably within the European Space Agency, but also through national activities, Norway has a growing space industry and a growing public awareness of the benefits which can be derived from space technology. We therefore welcome this opportunity to participate in UNISPACE III. The conference offers great opportunities for discussions on space related matters of common interest in a global scale, and its workshops and the exhibition provide an excellent meeting place for experts in the various fields.

Mankind has, in turn, taken the land, the sea, and the air into use for improving living conditions on Earth. We have now reached so far that space has become an important and indispensable arena for mankind. Satellites are essential for world-wide communications and navigation, they are used for television broadcasting at an increasing rate, and they are important for meteorological forecasts and environmental monitoring.

Having large territorial waters, a long coastline and a scattered population, Norway has extensive requirements for communication, navigation and Earth observation services. As a consequence, Norway benefits from satellite activities. This has led to development and manufacture of relevant spaceproducts and new services based upon satellites. For Norwegian space activities, usefulness is a key word. Applications are directed towards operational services, to ensure that the end users have access to the satellite data and services that fulfil their needs, and to develop the corresponding ground infrastructure.

Due to Norway’s off-shore activities and its large merchant fleet, communication and navigation technology has been a priority. As a result Norway contributed considerably to the establishment of INMARSAT. This has also enabled Norwegian companies to develop cost-effective solutions for developing countries. Furthermore, Norway has also supported the establishment of the MERCURE satellite communications system and the computer network used by the United Nations Environment Programme.

In addition to satellite communication, high-priority application areas include monitoring and forecasts of oceanic, atmospheric and ice conditions as well as resource and environmental monitoring and mapping. Through its Earth observation programme, Norway supports the national and international follow-up of Agenda 21 from the Rio Conference on the Environment.

One of the advantages of using polar orbiting satellites for monitoring purposes would be the coverage of large areas in a short time and frequent measurements at high latitudes. The frequent changes related to the marine environment resulted in an Norwegian emphasis on delivering the information to users in near real time.

The Norwegian delegation would like to echo the concern already expressed by the Secretary -General and many delegations for the widening technology gap between rich and poor nations. Unless developing countries are given access to the technologies we are discussing on an equitable basis they risk further marginalisation. Developing countries must also develop their own capacities to use these technologies.

Mr. President, it is our common prime responsibility to ensure to the people of our planet, a benign atmospheric and climatic environment, as a basis for sustained economic, social and cultural advancement. Despite rapid progress notably through space techniques, our understanding of the complex interactions between the various elements which in sum define our climate are not yet fully recognised and modelled. The threats to the delicate balance of our ecosystem are multiple: Climate change, depletion of ozone layer, natural and man-made disasters, degradation of the local environment, solar flares, even cosmic collisions. These threats require global solutions and actions.

Climate change will have enormous impact on the life on our planet. Failure to understand the causes of climate change would have enormous consequences, either because of over-regulations or under-regulations. The first could penalise development and growth, whilst the latter would undermine the basis of longer-term survival. International regulation must therefore be based on a massive increase of our understanding of the functioning of Planet Earth. Space activities, together with airborne and groundbased means, play a crucial part in increasing our knowledge since we then can monitor the environment at all scales, from local to planetary. The role of space in this essential step towards planetary management will increase, through acquisition of data and the use of these data for modelling and forecasting. Finally, space tools will be crucial in implementing the regulations by securing a consistent monitoring all over the world.

Indications of global changes are often first detected in the highly vulnerable Polar Regions. Here small deviations can lead to major changes. Therefore, Norway has built up a considerable space infrastructure in the northern part of mainland Norway and at Svalbard to provide international researchers with the means to execute such studies.

The Norwegian delegation supports the main principles underpinning the draft Vienna Declaration. We find the text well balanced, highlighting important areas where space technology can be applied for the best of mankind, and well within the purpose and mandate of The Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space.

Thank you Mr. President