Committee: United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

Topic 1: Preventing an Arms race in Outer Space

Country: Australia
Delegate Name: Jenisha Kanjani
School: Dubai Gem Private School (DGPS)
Since the first communication satellites were launched, space has been militarized. The
weaponization of space involves the development and deployment of ammunition and military
technology in outer space. The early exploration of space during the period of the mid-20th century had a
military motive as quite a few countries used it as an opportunity to give a demonstration of ballistic-
missile technology and supplementary technologies in order to have the capability for military
application. On December 4, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly passed two resolutions aimed at
averting a weapons race in space: The first resolution, Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space,
committed to actively contribute to the peaceful use of outer space, to avoid an arms race there, and to
refrain from activities that are incompatible with that goal. There were 178 countries in favor, including
Australia, none against, and two abstentions in the voting. The second resolution, no first deployment of
weapons in outer space, emphasized the need to avoid a space arms race and noted that additional
measures could help to ensure that weapons were not put in outer space. With 46 abstentions, including
Australia, 126 nations voted in favor, with 4 against.
Evidently most countries, are in favor of contributing to the peaceful use of outer space. While
Australia supports the prevention of a weapons race in space, neither of these ideas has its backing. Both
would give minimal comfort and have unintended implications by enabling the development of terrestrial
and dual-use counter-space technologies to go unchecked. In Australia’s eyes, the proposed pact on the
prohibition of weapons in outer space looks to be more about geopolitical maneuvering than actual arms
control, due to which Australia has unveiled a defense agency focused on space, designed to counter
Russia and China's ambitions, non-adjacent to this move, in order to address growing concerns about a
potential space arms race, the international community of Australia continues to negotiate and adopt
additional political commitments and confidence-building measures that are inclusive of all member
states, with the goal of promoting peaceful uses of space while maintaining international security.
Australia is additionally a member of the Group of Governmental Experts on Additional Practical
Measures for the Prevention of an Outer Space Arms Race. The Group has been tasked with considering
and making suggestions on major components of an international legally enforceable document to prevent
an arms race in space, including, among other things, the prevention of weapons deployment in space.
The Group will submit its report to the Secretary-General in 2019, assuming that consensus can be
obtained. Through the Combined Space Operations Initiative, Australia strengthened its defense
cooperation in space with Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This
organization enabled for more effective and coordinated use of military space capabilities, as well as
improved collaboration on issues such as recognizing and comprehending what objects exist in space, as
well as securing our access to critical military space systems.
Australia is putting in all efforts possible in order to achieve the sort of peace it wants prosperous,
open, and inclusive, with all major nations contributing to global concerns. Its space ventures send a
powerful message to the rest of the world they we are a creative, smart, and adventurous people – and it's
a huge boost to our economy and the employment it generates for Australians. Australia is a pioneer in
the utilization of space for civic purposes, as well as a proponent of sound and strong international
relations to defend it. As Australia considers how best to contribute to international efforts to guarantee
the long-term sustainability, stability, safety, and security of outer space, Australia remains flexible and
open-minded, while continuing to work out how their actions can best function for current and future
needs.
Bibliography:
https://www.dgpsmun.com/resources
https://jpia.princeton.edu/sites/jpia/files/2008-10.pdf
https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/SAAS01-A-Potential-Policy-for-Australian-
Military-Space.pdf
https://www.mapw.org.au/campaigns/australian-militarism/
https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2020-12/features/enhancing-space-security-time-legally-binding-
measures
https://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/fact-sheets/critical-issues/5448-outer-space#UNfora
https://www.un.org/disarmament/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/statement-by-australia-os.pdf