IISL Working Group Future of Moon Agreement
Submission of the Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement to UN COPUOS
On 15 November 2024, the Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement submitted an answer to UNOOSA’s Invitation Circular OOSA/2024/43 CU 2024/221. The circular was distributed under the initiative of the Legal Subcommittee’s Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities, and invited Committee members and permanent observers to provide contributions on elements for an initial draft set of recommended principles for space resource activities. The Invitation Circular as well as the IISL Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement’s response can be viewed and downloaded below. More information on the Working Group is available on the dedicated IISL website of the Working Group.
IISL Board of Directors Fall Meeting held
14 October 2024. The IISL Board of Directors met on the first day of IAC, ahead of the start of the IISL Colloquium, in Milan, Italy. At its Fall Meeting, traditionally held on the first day of IAC, the IISL Board had on its agenda: updates from the IISL Membership Committee, from the IISL Election Committee, and from the Treasurer. The Directorate of Study (DoS) presented an update and IISL Board Member Mahulena Hofmann was elected Chair of the DoS. Further discussion points included future IAC planning, an update from the Moot Court Committee, and an update on the publications of the IISL proceedings. Moreover, the Working Groups on the Moon Agreement and on AI in Space presented their current state of work.
Call for participation in the IISL Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement
Dear Members, Prospective Members, and Friends of the International Institute for Space Law (IISL), We are pleased to invite you to participate in the newly established Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement. Working Group Overview In light of the ongoing efforts to set up a framework to govern the utilization of space resources as well as the plans to return to Moon, the Working Group on the Future of the Moon Agreement, under the auspices of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), aims at exploring the contribution that the Agreement can give to this process. Despite the limited number of States Parties to it, the Moon Agreement remains the only existing international treaty specifically designed to regulate human activities on a celestial body, hence it seems worth to reflect upon the lessons to be learned from its drafting history and provisions and its relevance in today’s space environment. You can find more details on the Working Group IISL page and the Call for participation below.
IISL Board Member Fabio Tronchetti represents IISL
IISL Board Member Fabio Tronchetti represented the IISL in his capacity as IISL representative to IAA on matters related to the Moon Farside Protection and as Member of the IISL Board. The presentations were held recently during the First IAA Symposium on Moon Farside Protection and the European Interparliamentary Space Conference Workshop. During the 1st IAA Symposium on Moon Farside Protection, which took place in Turin, Italy, on 22 March 2024 Dr. Tronchetti gave a presentation entitled: ‘The role of space law in protecting the Moon Farside for scientific research’. The presentation was given on behalf of IISL in his role of IISL representative to IAA on matters related to the Moon Farside Protection. The presentation can be accessed below and more information on the Symposium is available at: https://www.moonfarsideprotection.org/. The European Interparliamentary Space Conference Workshop, on 25 March 2024, addressed the topic: Legislating space: a commercial affair? The Workshop took place in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. Dr. Tronchetti gave a presentation in his capacity as IISL Board Member entitled: ‘China and space: a regulatory and strategic reflection’. More information is available at: https://www.chd.lu/en/node/2235.