Annual United Nations General Assembly Brings World Leaders Together In Person, And Virtually

UN General Assembly. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz – Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — A key United Nations committee overwhelmingly approved a US resolution calling upon states to forgo testing of destructive, debris-creating anti-satellite missiles — with what a senior State Department official said was strong support from developing nations traditionally not allied politically with the West and often skeptical of US proposals.

The vote at the UN First Committee, which is responsible for peace and security, was 154 in favor, eight against and 10 abstentions. Russia and China, probably needless to say, opposed the resolution, as they for decades have instead been flogging a treaty to bar the placement of weapons on orbit, with the claim that the US intends to do just that.

The US first put the anti-ASAT resolution on the table in September at a meeting of the UN Open Ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats (OEWG), following the announcement in April by Vice President Kamala Harris that the US intended to unilaterally impose such a ban. While not legally binding, the positive vote at the First Committee indicates that many countries are ready to accept the concept of barring killer ASAT missiles as an international political commitment.

Nine countries have now made similar unilateral pledges: Canada in May, New Zealand in July, Japan and Germany in September, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia and Switzerland last month.

Richard Buenneke, senior space policy advisor at the State Department’s Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, said Wednesday that the UN resolution represents an “urgent initial measure aimed at preventing damage to the outer space environment,” that also will “contribute to the development of further measures” toward preventing an arms race in outer space.

It also will allow the discussions on norms of behavior for military space activities at the OEWG to be more focused on the real issues at hand, he added.

“It really does allow us to have what we think is going to be a much more productive discussion,” Buenneke told the CyberSatGov 2022 conference here. “This really shows that there is real interest in this much more pragmatic approach.”

He stressed that the strong showing of support from the UN’s Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) block of nations is significant, noting that these are countries that increasingly stand to benefit from “space for sustainable development and also have an interest in ensuring that space remains a sustainable and stable environment and continue to operate in the future.” The NAM is a forum of 120 countries that, as the name would suggest, are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc, and the largest group of voting states within the United Nations.

Jessica West, who followed the UN proceedings closely for Canada’s Project Ploughshares, agreed.

“The amount of support for the resolution is a huge feat for cooperation in the current geopolitical climate. Voting on the resolution shows the feasibility of finding agreement on clear, practical initiatives that improve the ability of all states to securely make use of outer space,” she said. “Importantly, this initiative reaches beyond traditional concerns with strategic stability, demonstrating the growing linkages between outer space with environmental, humanitarian, and socio-economic well-being that affect everyone.”

The OEWG held its second session in Geneva, Switzerland Sept. 12-16, and despite what a number of diplomats involved characterized as Russian efforts to derail the talks, was generally was considered a success.

The OEWG Chair, Hellmut Lagos of Chile, reviewed progress during a joint meeting of the UN First and Fourth Committees (the latter covering the peaceful uses of space) Oct. 27. “Long way to go but so far our meetings have been constructive and inclusive. Hopeful we will reach our common goals,” he tweeted the same day.

The next session of the OEWG will take place Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2023.

Buenneke said the US is already internally engaged in figuring out possible next steps it might take to further the goals of norm-setting for military space — an effort that is led by the National Security Council.

“There are ongoing reviews to find other other commitments that we can make, specifically around national security space activities,” he said.