The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its resolution 50/27 of 6 December 1995,
 
      Deeply convinced of the common interest of mankind in promoting the
exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes and in continuing
efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived therefrom, and also of
the importance of international cooperation in this field, for which the
United Nations should continue to provide a focal point,
 
      Reaffirming the importance of international cooperation in developing
the rule of law, including the relevant norms of space law and their important
role in international cooperation for the exploration and use of outer space
for peaceful purposes,
 
      Stressing the importance of the widest possible adherence to
international treaties that promote the peaceful uses of outer space,
 
      Concerned about the possibility of an arms race in outer space,
 
      Recognizing that all States, in particular those with major space
capabilities, should contribute actively to the goal of preventing an arms
race in outer space as an essential condition for the promotion of
international cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for
peaceful purposes,
 
      Considering that space debris is an issue of concern to all nations,
 
      Noting the progress achieved in the further development of peaceful
space exploration and application as well as in various national and
cooperative space projects, which contribute to international cooperation, and
the importance of further international cooperation in this field,
 
      Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation
of the recommendations of the Second United Nations Conference on the
Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,
 
      Having considered the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of
Outer Space on the work of its thirty-ninth session,
 
      1.    Endorses the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer
Space on the work of its thirty-ninth session;
 
      2.    Invites States that have not yet become parties to the
international treaties governing the uses of outer space to give consideration
to ratifying or acceding to those treaties;
 
      3.    Notes that, at its thirty-fifth session, the Legal Subcommittee of
the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, in its working groups,
continued its work as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution
50/27;
 
      4.    Endorses the recommendations of the Committee that the Legal
Subcommittee, at its thirty-sixth session, taking into account the concerns of
all countries, particularly those of developing countries, should:
 
      (a)   Continue its consideration of the question of review and possible
revision of the Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in
Outer Space;
 
      (b)   Continue, through its working group, its consideration of matters
relating to the definition and delimitation of outer space and to the
character and utilization of the geostationary orbit, including consideration
of ways and means to ensure the rational and equitable use of the
geostationary orbit without prejudice to the role of the International
Telecommunication Union;
 
      5.    Also endorses the recommendation of the Committee that the Legal
Subcommittee, at its thirty-sixth session, should suspend consideration in its
working group of the Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources
in Outer Space pending the results of the work in the Scientific and Technical
Subcommittee, without prejudice to the possibility of reconvening its working
group on that item if in the opinion of the Legal Subcommittee sufficient
progress was made in the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at its session
in 1997 to warrant the reconvening of the working group;
 
      6.    Notes that deliberations on the question of the geostationary
orbit have been undertaken by the Legal Subcommittee as reflected in its
report, on the basis of recent proposals which might provide a new and
enhanced basis for future work;
 
      7.    Endorses the recommendations and agreements concerning the
organization of work in the Legal Subcommittee;
 
      8.    Notes that the Chairman of the Legal Subcommittee, at its
thirty-fifth session, conducted open-ended informal consultations with all
members of the Subcommittee on the working methods of the Subcommittee,
including the consideration of possible additional items for inclusion in its
agenda, as outlined in the report of the Committee, and that the
implementation of several recommendations made by the Subcommittee at its
thirty-fourth session resulted in a general recognition of the improvements in
the working methods of the Subcommittee at its thirty-fifth session;
 
      9.    Welcomes the fact that, pursuant to its request in paragraph 12 of
its resolution 50/27, the Legal Subcommittee reviewed its requirement for
summary records and that, beginning with its thirty-sixth session, it would be
provided with unedited verbatim transcripts in lieu of summary records;
 
      10.   Notes with satisfaction that, in accordance with paragraph 11 of
its resolution 50/27, the Committee was provided, at its thirty-ninth session,
with unedited verbatim transcripts of that session in lieu of verbatim records
and that the Committee would evaluate the use of unedited verbatim transcripts
at its fortieth session to inform the General Assembly at its fifty-second
session of the experience of the Committee with the transcripts;
 
      11.   Notes that, in accordance with paragraph 9 of its resolution
50/27, the Committee reconvened, at its thirty-ninth session, the Working
Group of the Whole to examine the working methods of the Committee and its
subsidiary bodies;
 
      12.   Endorses the recommendations of the Committee as contained in its
report on its thirty-ninth session with regard to its working methods;
 
      13.   Notes that, in accordance with the agreement of the Committee at
its thirty-ninth session, the Chairman of the Committee undertook and will
continue to hold, as necessary, inter-sessional informal consultations among
the members of the Committee with a view to reaching consensus decisions
before the fortieth session of the Committee on the modalities of establishing
a new composition of bureaux, keeping in view the principles of equitable
geographical representation and rotation, and that all proposals made by
delegations and groups of delegations, including the need for agenda
restructuring and an examination of session duration, were taken into account
in the framework of those informal consultations;
 
      14.   Agrees that if consensus agreement is reached among the members of
the Committee on measures relating to the working methods of the Committee and
its subsidiary bodies, including the composition and election of the bureaux,
duration of sessions of those bodies and inclusion of additional items in the
agenda of the Legal Subcommittee, those measures should be implemented during
the 1997 sessions of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies as the
transitional arrangements for the year 1997;
 
      15.   Notes that the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, at its thirty-third session,
continued its work as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution
50/27;
 
      16.   Notes with satisfaction that the Scientific and Technical
Subcommittee continued to consider on a priority basis the agenda item on
space debris and that the work of the Subcommittee at its thirty-third session
concentrated on the topic of measurements of space debris, understanding of
data and effects of this environment on space systems, based on the multi-year
work plan adopted by the Subcommittee at its thirty-second session;
 
      17.   Agrees that the multi-year work plan for the consideration of the
item on space debris should continue to be implemented with flexibility;
 
      18.   Endorses the recommendations of the Committee that the Scientific
and Technical Subcommittee, at its thirty-fourth session, taking into account
the concerns of all countries, particularly those of developing countries,
should:
 
        (a)    Consider the following items on a priority basis:
 
        (i)    United Nations Programme on Space Applications and the
               coordination of space activities within the United Nations
               system;
 
       (ii)    Implementation of the recommendations of the Second United
               Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of
               Outer Space;
 
      (iii)    Matters relating to remote sensing of the Earth by satellites,
               including, inter alia, applications for developing countries;
 
       (iv)    Use of nuclear power sources in outer space;
 
        (v)    Space debris;
 
        (b)    Consider the following items:
 
        (i)    Questions relating to space transportation systems and their
               implications for future activities in space;
 
       (ii)    Examination of the physical nature and technical attributes of
               the geostationary orbit and of its utilization and
               applications, including, inter alia, in the field of space
               communications, as well as other questions relating to space
               communications developments, taking particular account of the
               needs and interests of developing countries;
 
      (iii)    Matters relating to life sciences, including space medicine;
 
       (iv)    Progress in national and international space activities related
               to the Earth's environment, in particular progress in the
               international geosphere-biosphere (global change) programme;
 
        (v)    Matters relating to planetary exploration;
 
       (vi)    Matters relating to astronomy;
 
      (vii)    The theme fixed for special attention at the thirty-fourth
               session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee:  "Space
               systems for direct broadcasting and global information systems
               for space research"; the Committee on Space Research and the
               International Astronautical Federation, in liaison with Member
               States, should be invited to arrange a symposium, with as wide
               a participation as possible, to be held during the first week
               of the Subcommittee's session, to complement discussions within
               the Subcommittee on the special theme;
 
      19.   Considers, in the context of paragraph 18 (a) (ii) above, that it
is particularly urgent to implement the following recommendations:
 
      (a)   All countries should have the opportunity to use the techniques
resulting from medical studies in space;
 
      (b)   Databases at the national and regional levels should be
strengthened and expanded and an international space information service
should be established to function as a centre of coordination;
 
      (c)   The United Nations should support the creation of adequate
training centres at the regional level, linked, whenever possible, to
institutions implementing space programmes; necessary funding for the
development of such centres should be made available through financial
institutions;
 
      (d)   The United Nations should organize a fellowship programme through
which selected graduates or postgraduates from developing countries should get
in-depth, long-term exposure to space technology or applications; it is also
desirable to encourage the availability of opportunities for such exposure on
other bilateral or multilateral bases outside the United Nations system;
 
      20.   Endorses the recommendations of the Working Group of the Whole to
Evaluate the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Second United
Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, of the
Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, as endorsed by the Committee and as
contained in the report of the Working Group of the Whole;
 
      21.   Also endorses the recommendation of the Committee that the
Scientific and Technical Subcommittee should reconvene, at its thirty-fourth
session, the Working Group of the Whole to Evaluate the Implementation of the
Recommendations of the Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, to continue its work;
 
      22.   Invites Member States to report to the Secretary-General on a
regular basis with regard to national and international research concerning
the safety of space objects with nuclear power sources on board;
 
      23.   Endorses the United Nations Programme on Space Applications for
1997, as proposed to the Committee by the Expert on Space Applications;
 
      24.   Emphasizes the urgency and importance of implementing fully the
recommendations of the Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, in particular those relating to the promotion of
the establishment and strengthening of regional mechanisms of cooperation
through the United Nations system;
 
      25.   Invites all Governments within the organizations of the United
Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations working in the field
of outer space or on space-related matters to take effective action for the
implementation of the recommendations of the Conference, and also invites the
Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-second
session on the implementation of the recommendations of the Conference;
 
      26.   Notes with satisfaction that, in accordance with paragraph 30 of
resolution 50/27 and in the context of paragraph 19 (c) above, the Centre for
Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific began its first
education programme in April 1996 and that significant progress has also been
achieved in establishing regional centres for space science and technology
education in the other regions covered by the regional commissions;
 
      27.   Notes that, pursuant to its recommendation in paragraph 33 of
resolution 50/27, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at its
thirty-third session, continued to discuss the possibility of holding a third
United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
before the turn of the century, and that the Committee continued these
discussions at its thirty-ninth session with a view to making a final
recommendation to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session;
 
      28.   Endorses the recommendation of the Committee that a special
session of the Committee (UNISPACE III), open to all States Members of the
United Nations, should be convened at the United Nations Office at Vienna,
preferably in 1999, unless progress towards agreeing on an agenda in the
Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at its thirty-fourth session makes it
more appropriate to consider the year 2000;
 
      29.   Requests the Committee and the Scientific and Technical
Subcommittee to act as the Preparatory Committee and the Advisory Committee
for UNISPACE III and the Office for Outer Space Affairs to act as the
executive secretariat; and also requests the Preparatory Committee and the
Advisory Committee to carry out the tasks entrusted to them in paragraphs 178
to 185 of the report of the Committee and to report to the General Assembly at
its fifty-second session on the progress made in the preparatory work for
UNISPACE III;
 
      30.   Recognizes the contribution of the Third Space Conference of the
Americas, held at Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 1996, towards promoting regional
cooperation in space activities, as well as the meetings mentioned in
paragraph 13 of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of
the recommendations of the Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration
and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and calls upon the regional commissions to
support those initiatives;
 
      31.   Recommends that more attention be paid to all aspects related to
the protection and the preservation of the outer space environment, especially
those potentially affecting the Earth's environment;
 
      32.   Considers that it is essential that Member States pay more
attention to the problem of collisions of space objects, including those with
nuclear power sources, with space debris, and other aspects of space debris,
calls for the continuation of national research on this question, for the
development of improved technology for the monitoring of space debris and for
the compilation and dissemination of data on space debris, and also considers
that, to the extent possible, information thereon should be provided to the
Scientific and Technical Subcommittee;
 
      33.   Urges all States, in particular those with major space
capabilities, to contribute actively to the goal of preventing an arms race in
outer space as an essential condition for the promotion of international
cooperation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful purposes;
 
      34.   Emphasizes the need to increase the benefits of space technology
and its applications and to contribute to an orderly growth of space
activities favourable to sustained economic growth and sustainable development
in all countries, particularly in the developing countries;
 
      35.   Requests the Committee to continue to consider, as a matter of
priority, ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes,
taking into account the views expressed at its thirty-ninth session and at the
fifty-first session of the General Assembly, and to report thereon to the
Assembly at its fifty-second session;
 
      36.   Also requests the Committee to continue to consider at its
fortieth session its agenda item entitled "Spin-off benefits of space
technology:  review of current status";
 
      37.   Endorses the decision of the Committee to grant permanent observer
status to the Planetary Society;
 
      38.   Requests the specialized agencies and other international
organizations to continue and, where appropriate, enhance their cooperation
with the Committee and to provide it with progress reports on their work
relating to the peaceful uses of outer space;
 
      39.   Requests the Committee to continue its work, in accordance with
the present resolution, to consider, as appropriate, new projects in outer
space activities, and to submit a report to the General Assembly at its
fifty-second session, including its views on which subjects should be studied
in the future.