Mr. Chair

India congratulates you on your assumption as Chair of this Open-Ended Working Group. We assure you of our support and of our constructive participation in the work of this body.

2.  As a developing country and a major space-faring nation, India is convinced that space activities and technologies contribute considerably to the rapid economic and social development.

3.   India has vital development and security interests in Outer Space. We have a significant space programme and a well-established framework for international cooperation.

4.  India believes that Outer Space should remain an ever-expanding frontier of cooperative endeavour rather than conflict.India is opposed to the weaponization of Outer Space and is not participating in any arms race in Outer Space.

5.  All space-faring nations and others should contribute to safeguarding Outer Space as the province of all humankind, and to preserving and promoting the benefits of space technology and its applications.

6. India is a party to major international treaties and conventions relating to outer space activities such as the Outer Space Treaty, Rescue Agreement, Liability Convention and the Registration Convention. We have complied, and will continue to comply, with the provisions of these treaties.

7. India recognises the framework offered by the existingconventions and agreements for enhancing Outer Space security.

8. We hope that discussions in the OEWGfurther promote and develop common understandings about this framework.

9. India has implemented measures and practices related to the 21 guidelines of Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities agreed at UN COPUOS (UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space), including registration of space objects with the UN register, pre-launch notifications, measures in line with UN Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, participation in Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) activities undertaking Space Object Proximity Analysis (SOPA) and Collision Avoidance (COLA) Analysis and numerous international cooperation activities.

10. We advocate enhanced implementation of these guidelinesfor augmenting outer space safety and sustainability. It is equally important to periodically reassess the challenges to long-term sustainability,to share experiences and lessons learnt from practical implementation of the adopted guidelines, and to contribute to raising awareness and capacity building, especially inthe developing countries and emerging space faring nations.

Mr. Chair

11. India recognises the threats to outer space safety and sustainability caused due to rapid growth and diversification of activities in outer space in terms of satellite launches, proliferation of satellite constellations, rising space debris etc. We have promoted and undertaken transparency and confidence building measures for space debris mitigation and remediation. India alsoexchanges best practices and data with other nations about monitoring of space environment and space debris mitigation.

12  Given theglobal nature of space debris problem, weadvocate greater technical collaboration amongst countries,and encourage relevant data sharing and exchange amongst international space agencies and entities, for effective monitoring and mitigation of the space debris environment

13.  In the context ofsuggested practices relating to outer space safety and security, we believe that all countries must:

1. Carry out activities in space in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international cooperation.
2. Bear international responsibility for their national activities in Outer Space, whether such activities are carried out by government agencies or non-governmental entities.
3. Ensure the equitable, rational and efficient use of the radio frequency spectrum and various orbital regions used by satellites.
4. Enhance the practice of registering space objects and provide timely information that contributes to the transparency and sustainability of Outer Space activities.

Mr. Chair

14.  India supports substantive consideration of Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) within the multilateral framework of the UN. We remain committed to negotiation of a legally-binding instrument on PAROS to be negotiated in the Conference on Disarmament,to address pressing issues relating to space security. India will play a constructive role in this process.

15.  While universal and non-discriminatory transparency and confidence-building measures can play a useful complementary role, they cannot substitute for legally binding instruments in this field.

16.  It is important that the OEWG follow an objective and comprehensive approach in assessing and characterizing relevant space threats and activities. India believes that any new international frameworks in outer space must be premised on the understanding that Outer Spaceshould remain an operationally stable and safe environment that is maintained forpeaceful purposes in the interest of all countries, without discrimination of any kind. We hope that our work in the OEWG will lead to convergences towards this important objective without prejudicing discussions in other relevant bodies on Outer Space safety, sustainability and security.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.