Group on Earth Observations – GEO Global Forum 2025 & GEO-20 Plenary

On behalf of the Secure World Foundation (SWF) we would like to commend the efforts of this organization in working to realize a future where decisions and actions, for the benefit of humankind, are informed by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observation information and services. We strongly support the proposed GEO Post 2025 Strategy and Post-2025 GEO Work Programme, and the excellent work of the organization over the last several years. We look forward to seeing those initiatives progress, and we pledge to support the effort in any way we can.

Since its inception, GEO has raised the salience of Earth observation as an indispensable tool to address pressing global problems in eight societal benefit areas where Earth observations play a key role in decision making. In this way, GEO is contributing directly to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Also, since its inception, GEO has helped to promote a new norm of open data sharing, bringing the benefits of Earth observation data to many more countries.

Outside of the space community, very few people who are critically reliant on space-derived Earth observation data are aware of just how serious the situation in orbit has become. Data continuity can no longer be taken for granted. Some orbits that are very valuable for Earth observation, particularly sun-synchronous orbits, have become very crowded, and the risk of orbital collisions is not negligible. Such collisions would generate yet more debris, raising the risks of further debris-on-debris or debris-on-satellite collisions. Radio frequency interference is also a risk for space systems, as more and more satellites operate in an increasingly crowded radio spectrum.

As a growing number of operators across governments and industry around the world enter the space domain, it is more important than ever that these operators are well-informed on space sustainability guidelines and best practices. Beyond the substance of these guidelines, it is important that new and existing space actors understand the logic that informed their inception and the practical measures that align with these guidelines at the international, national, and operational levels. Shared knowledge helps to mitigate the risks associated with the conduct of outer space activities so that present benefits can be sustained and future opportunities realized.

In June 2019, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space adopted twenty-one consensus guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. These voluntary guidelines comprise a collection of internationally recognized minimum measures for ensuring the long-term sustainability of outer space activities and for enhancing the safety of space operations. They address the policy, regulatory, operational, safety, scientific, technical, international cooperation, and capacity-building aspects of space activities. They are based on a substantial body of knowledge, as well as the experiences of States, international intergovernmental organizations, and relevant national and international non-governmental entities. The guidelines are relevant to both governmental and non-governmental entities. They are also relevant to all space activities, whether planned or ongoing, as practicable, and to all phases of a space mission, including launch, operation, and end-of-life disposal.

Secure World Foundation’s ongoing efforts in this field inspire us to call on all GEO member States and Participating Organizations to promote awareness of UN Space Sustainability guidelines among their national space actors and to implement these voluntary guidelines to the greatest extent practicable, under their existing conditions, capabilities, and obligations applicable under international law.

In 2024, Secure World Foundation proudly published the second edition of the Handbook for New Actors in Space, a comprehensive guide to inform engagement in best practice behaviors for space sustainability as well as other developments in the environment, technology, and policy that can affect future system decisions. The second edition is updated to showcase space industry trends, evolving policies, and new challenges to space sustainability. The goal of the Handbook is to contribute to the safe and sustainable operation of space systems that contribute data to GEOSS and other critical activities. We invite members to review the 2024 Handbook for New Actors in Space.

We invite members to review several resources that Secure World Foundation has made available to better inform stakeholders on these key issues. In particular, the second edition Handbook for New Actors in Space, the 2025 Global Counterspace Capabilities Open Source Assessment, Space Sustainability: A Practical Guide, the 2024 COPUOS Briefing Book, and the 2018 UN COPUOS Long-Term Sustainability Guidelines Fact Sheet may be of interest.