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Excerpted from the Inventory of International Organizations
and Regimes 2001 published by the CNS International Organizations and Nonproliferation
Project. A complete PDF copy of the 2000 edition of the Inventory is available in the Publications section of the NTI website.
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration
and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Outer
Space Treaty)
Opened for signature: 27 January 1967.
Entered into force: 10 October
1967.
Number of Parties: 96 States. Number of Signatories: 27
States.
Depositories: Russia, UK, and U.S..
The Outer Space Treaty was adopted by the General Assembly in its
resolution 2222 (XXI) after it had been considered by the Legal Subcommittee in
1966. The Treaty was largely based on the Declaration of Legal Principles
Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space,
which had been adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 1962 (XVIII) in
1963, but added a few new provisions.
Treaty obligations: exploration and use of outer space
shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries, and
it shall be the province of mankind; not to place in orbit around the Earth any
objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass
destruction; not to install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station them in
outer space in any other manner; the moon and other celestial bodies are to be
used exclusively for peaceful purposes; establishment of military bases,
installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons, and the
conduct of military maneuvers on celestial bodies shall be forbidden.
Verification: all stations, installations, equipment,
and space vehicles on the moon and other celestial bodies shall be open to
representatives of other states parties on a basis of reciprocity; such
representatives shall give reasonable advance notice of their projected visit,
in order that appropriate consultations may be held, and that maximum
precautions may be taken to assure safety and to avoid interference with normal
operations of the facility to be visited.
Consideration by the UNGA of further measures for preventing an arms race
in outer space: In 1993, a UN study on the application of confidence-building
measures in outer space was concluded and submitted to the UNGA (48/305),
pursuant to its resolution of December 1990. The group of governmental experts
commissioned to prepare the study concluded that since the Outer Space Treaty
was adopted in 1967, "legal norms may have to be developed further,
whenever appropriate, to address new developments in space technology and
increasing universal interest in its application." Thus, the need to
formulate a framework for the enhancement of cooperation and confidence-building
among states was identified. The 1993 regular session of the UNGA commended this
study to the attention of all UN members (48/74B).
The 1994 regular session of the UNGA reaffirmed that there is a need to
consolidate and reinforce the legal regime applicable to outer space; emphasized
the necessity of further measures with appropriate and effective provisions for
verification; and requested the CD to intensify its consideration of the
question of the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all its aspects
(49/74).
The 1995 and 1996 regular sessions of the UNGA again affirmed the need to
consolidate the regime, and requested that the CD re-establish an ad hoc
committee on the subject (50/69).
During the 1997 UNGA adopted a resolution aimed at the prevention of an
arms race in Outer Space (52/37), which reaffirmed the importance and urgency of
preventing an international arms race in outer space and the readiness of all
States to contribute to that common objective. The 1998 resolution (53/76)
reiterated the former and emphasized the need for further measures, with
verification, to prevent an arms race. The resolution stated that the CD has the
primary role in negotiating multilateral agreements, including on the prevention
of an arms race in outer space. It also called for the re-establishment of the
ad hoc committee of the CD. Furthermore, it urged States that conduct activities
in outer space to keep the CD updated on any progress on bilateral or
multilateral negotiations on the matter. The UNGA resolution of 1999 (54/53)
reiterated the above objectives, while calling for the re-establishment of the
ad hoc committee of the CD in 2000.
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