“The situation has changed dramatically in the last few decades. We have so many space activities there is a growing number of space-faring nations – and even those that are not space-faring are sending their own satellites,” explained Hellmut Lagos, chair of the working group talks.

“There are so many activities and the regulations …are not enough to deal with the different risks and threats to the security of all those activities.”

Progress on disarmament is a key priority of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who recently reported on ways to reduce the “risks of misunderstanding and miscalculations” on outer space issues.

Treaty revamp push    

An international Outer Space Treaty already exists that forms the basis of international space law.

Its main focus is on the peaceful “exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies…for the benefit and in the interests of all countries…and shall be the province of all mankind”.

In keeping with the optimism of the era surrounding the space race, astronauts are described “as envoys of mankind”, and there is also a nod to today’s concerns over space pollution, with explicit wording that States must avoid the “harmful contamination” of space, the moon and other “celestial bodies”.

Russia, the UK and the US provided the original impetus for the treaty, whose impressive title in full is “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies”.

But the Outer Space Treaty is 55 years old and needs updating urgently, to take account of new space-based threats to global security – and the fact that all nations rely on space today for everything from navigation to communication, broadband and finance, explained Mr. Lagos:

“The most basic things that we do in in modern life, they are dependent on these technologies and services that come from space: GPS, critical infrastructure, energy, everything, everything is controlled by space technologies…everyone is becoming increasingly aware of this issue.”

Weapons loophole

Chilean diplomat Lagos also pointed out that although nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction are banned in the 1967 space accord – “the cornerstone of the international space regime”, in his words – there was no way of knowing about today’s new generation of missile systems that can target satellites.

Equally important, there is no review mechanism of the treaty as there is with other major treaties, Mr. Lagos noted, which is why all Member States need to find “common ground” on new norms, rules and principles, to plug legal gaps that might be exploited by space-faring nations.

To date, China, Indian Russia and the US have reportedly used anti-satellite (ASAT) technology, sparking concerns about attempts to weaponise space – and the fact that an unknown number of fragments may now be hurtling around around earth in low orbit, threatening spacecraft including the International Space Station.

Inclusive approach

Underlining the increasing number of non-State actors involved in space exploration, Mr. Lagos welcomed the significant number of civil society representatives at the talks in Geneva, and the fact that countries from all regions of the world attended.

“Civil society is extremely important, not only because there are an increasing number of non-State actors in space, but also because their participation in these multilateral processes, they give an additional layer of legitimacy to the result, to the outcome of the process.”

And although global tensions are higher than they’ve been for decades, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the underlying push for consensus of the working group’s agenda has kept discussions on track, Mr. Lagos insisted.

Last week, the head of Russia’s space agency reportedly confirmed that in response to sanctions over the war in Ukraine, Russia was planning to pull out of the International Space Station.

“It is obvious that the geopolitical context now is really concerning and it has an impact on all the discussions and all the processes all over the world – that does not exclude us,” said Mr. Lagos.

“But we are trying to have a positive momentum in this process at least to try to make progress because it is in everybody’s interest, and so far we have achieved that – we see that there is big engagement and interest in moving things forward.”

The next session of the Working Group is planned for September, where the item will be “current and future threats by States to space systems, and actions, activities and omissions that could be considered irresponsible”.

Next year, the group will take up its item on the preparation of recommendations to the General Assembly.

It is one of the outcomes of the UN Food Systems Summit held in September 2021, as part of the Decade of Action for delivery on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. 

The Summit called for progress towards achieving the SDGs by examining how food systems are linked to global challenges such as malnutrition, climate change, and poverty. 

Sickness and inequality 

The HDSFS comes at a crucial time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of its members, because “our food systems are making us sick”.  

Every year, unhealthy diets cause 11 million deaths, while a further 420,000 people die from consuming unsafe foods. 

Unhealthy diets are also related to six of the top 10 risk factors for the global burden of disease, but some three billion people worldwide cannot afford to buy healthy food. 

“The burden of malnutrition represents a violation of the human right to food and continues to drive health and social inequalities,” said WHO. 

The picture gets worse, as the UN agency said the unsustainable practices which define food systems today are also driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, the depletion of the oceans, antimicrobial resistance, and the emergence of zoonotic diseases. 

More than food 

For WHO, “healthy diets from sustainable food systems” goes beyond having affordable access to foods that promote health and prevent disease.   

It also means having food that is produced and distributed in ways that ensure decent work and help sustain the planet, soil, water, and biodiversity. 

WHO pointed to the wider impacts this would have towards achieving the SDGs, such as ending hunger and malnutrition, promoting healthy lives and well-being, improving maternal and child health, encouraging responsible consumption and production, and advancing urgent action to combat climate change. 

Coordinated action 

The HDSFS will work as a “Coalition of the willing”, serving as a platform for coordinated action on healthy diets from sustainable food systems through which countries can share experiences, champion policy actions, and gain support, information and inspiration. 

As urgent action is needed in policies, practices, availability of data, and resource allocation, the Coalition’s work will be centred around three main areas: mobilizing stakeholders to align action across food systems; facilitating peer-to-peer learning between countries, and managing special projects on integrating nutrition, health and sustainability through food. 

So far, 16 nations and the European Commission are “frontrunner countries” in the HDSFS. 

The Coalition’s “core group members” include WHO and four other UN agencies: the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP). 

Other members from civil society and academia include the World Wildlife Fund, the humanitarian organization CARE, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, and the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London. 

‘Cascading challenges’

He noted that the current “moment in history” had thrown up “cascading challenges” including a climate emergency, uneven economic recovery, and the triple crisis of food, energy and debt, all exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr. Guterres said that a critical ingredient of the UN’s ability to “rescue” the SDGs and provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance was “predictable and additional funding”, underpinned by the commitment of nations to provide 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income, to overseas aid – a target adopted in a UN General Assembly resolution, for advanced economies, back in 1970.

He acknowledged that a number of countries have met, “and in some cases” gone beyond, the threshold.

Commitments reversed

“However, there are recent indications that other Member States are making deep cuts of ODA, in a reversal of their commitment”, he said.

“This will have direct negative impacts on the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals. This is alarming and I urge Member States to reconsider, given the dire consequences for the vulnerable among us in these turbulent times.”

He reiterated the UN’s commitment to strengthened coordination in support of “coherent” national strategies for reaching the ambitious targets of the SDGs, agreed by 193 countries in 2015 – a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and make peace and prosperity accessible to all.

“We can deliver results and ensure they meet the needs and rights of the people whom we are meant to assist”, said the UN chief.

“At a time when global conflicts are at their highest levels since the creation of the United Nations, the evidence demonstrates that investing in development is the best way to prevent crises and maintain international peace, which remains the UN’s central mission. Prevention remains at the heart of my agenda.”