The 67th session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (Copuos), the annual United Nations forum to discuss the most topical issues in the space field, with a focus on the sustainable use of space, has kicked off in Vienna. The head of the Italian delegation, Italian Space Agency (Asi) President Teodoro Valente, confirmed Italy's commitment to promoting responsible use of space and the country's strong interest in space exploration activities and the development of new technologies. "Italy is actively engaged as a space ambassador," Valente then stated, highlighting the network of bilateral and multilateral collaborations promoted by Asi, particularly with emerging and developing countries.
Also speaking at the opening of the session, Italy's Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna, Ambassador Debora Lepre, emphasised the importance of international cooperation and recalled the G7 focus under the Italian Presidency on Copuos and the development of space sustainability standards. In this regard, she referred to the organisation by Italy of the first Italian-African meeting of heads of space agencies in July.
On the sidelines of the session, the exhibition 'The Italian Spaceway' was set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Iac 2024 Milan organising committee and Focus magazine, to celebrate the contribution of Italian research and 'Made in Italy' to space technologies. A side event was also organised to present the 75th edition of the International Astronautical Congress (the most important international meeting on space, to be held this year in Milan in October). In addition to the Italian delegation, the Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Aarti Holla-Maini, and the Executive Director of the International Astronautical Federation, Christian Feichtinger, also spoke at the event. The event was enriched by a concert dedicated to the composer Giacomo Puccini on the 100th anniversary of his death.
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