Conclusion

Participants considered and suggested what the OEWG could include and what the most important consideration should be. The word cloud below illustrates in broad terms the results:

In terms of specific approaches to the OEWG on PAROS, participants converged on three lines of thinking for making the best use of this opportunity:

Have form follow function

In the context of different but complementary approaches to PAROS, participants identified the utility in having form follow function rather than beginning with one solution or another.

Through substantive discussions on such topics without presupposing either a legally binding or non-legally binding approach, the complementary nature of different approaches to PAROS could be further detailed and developed.

Guiding principles: inclusivity, unity and continuity

The OEWG will benefit from the active participation of member States, regional and cross-regional initiatives, and relevant international organizations such as the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and the ITU, civil society and industry. It would be important to safeguard their time to participate. Panel discussions or technical presentations in the morning could inform the thematic discussion to follow. This enables knowledge sharing and a more informed discussion and brings together a wider audience to buy into achieving PAROS.
The views of all States, irrespective of their degree of spacefaring prowess, should be reflected in the OEWG. Preserving equitable access to and cooperation in space would be important for developing countries to buy into the OEWG.
One way to promote a balanced programme of work could be to distil relevant topics and ideas from existing documents. Resources include:

• The Final Report of the 2019 GGE¹
• The Chair’s Summary of the 2022-23 OEWG²
• The Final Report of the 2024 GGE³
• The 2017 Report of the Secretary-General on TCBMs⁴
• The 2021 Report of the Secretary-General on Reducing Space Threats⁵
• The 2023 UN Conference on Disarmament’s Recommendations⁶
• The Long-Term Sustainability Guidelines⁷
• The Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines.⁸

Allowing for early harvests

Space is a rapidly changing domain. As the OEWG is set to run for 4 years, it is pertinent to recognize that the process of space diplomacy is itself an important resource.

Time in between sessions and on the margins of the OEWG could be used for meaningful collaboration and cooperation, for example, through capacity building workshops, technical workshops, and scenario-based breakout groups. These would enable complex conversations and exchanges which may be less suited to plenary sessions.

There is a desire that, when feasible, early deliverables should be harvested. Intermediary reports could be released at the one- or two-year marks. Where commonalities among participants arise, the possibility of turning agreements into UN General Assembly resolutions could be explored.

Ching Wei Sooi
Wilton Park | March 2025

In partnership with

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1. A/74/44, http://www.undocs.org/A/74/77 ↩︎
2. A/AC.294/2023/WP.22, https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g23/178/26/pdf/g2317826.pdf ↩︎
3. GE-PAROS/2024/CRP.4, https://docs-library.unoda.org/Group_of_governmental_experts_on_further_practical_measures_for_the_prevention_of_an_arms_race_in_outer_space_-_(2023)/GE-PAROS-2024-CRP.4.pdf ↩︎
4. A/72/65, https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n17/042/53/pdf/n1704253.pdf ↩︎
5. A/76/77, https://undocs.org/A/76/77 ↩︎
6. A/78/42, pp. 12-15, https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4013645?ln=en&v=pdf ↩︎
7. The Guidelines for the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. https://spacesustainability.unoosa.org/content/the_guidelines ↩︎
8. Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, https://www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/st_space_49E.pdf ↩︎