New York, October 13, 2017. Ambassador Humberto Rivero Rosario, representative of Cuba to the United Nations, spoke on behalf of the island during the General Debate of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee under Agenda Item 52: “International Cooperation in the Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes”. In this context, he reiterated Cuba´s position against the militarization of outer space, considering that it would pose one of the major threats to the future of human species. He further called on preserving outer space as a common heritage of humanity, and to prevent it from becoming a scenario of the arms race.
In Cuba´s view, the Cuban diplomat added, the efforts of the international community should be aimed at using space technologies for disaster prevention and mitigation, environmental protection and human health. He also expressed that a treaty for the prevention and prohibition of the deployment of weapons in outer space should be negotiated and adopted.
Additionally, Rivero Rosario referred to the geostationary orbit, a limited natural resource clearly in danger of saturation, and supported its use in a rational, efficient and economical manner in conformity with the ITU Radio Regulations, to enable equitable access of countries or groups of countries to these orbits and frequencies, considering the special needs of developing countries. He highlighted that the use of the geostationary orbit should not be subject to national appropriation or to the occupation by countries which are not entitled to it.
The Cuban diplomat called for greater efforts to promote broader and more effective participation of developing countries in space activities, enabling them to use space science and technology for their social and economic development. Consequently, he said, it is necessary to promote effective cooperation, capacity-building and non-discriminatory transfer of science, expertise and related technology.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.