Since 1977, the Philippines has been a member of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. It is also a party to the Moon Agreement (entered into force for the Philippines in 1984) and has signed but not ratified the Outer Space Treaty, Rescue Agreement and Liability Convention. It has not yet signed the Registration Convention.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) was established by virtue of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11363, “An Act Establishing the Philippine Space Development and Utilization Policy and Creating the Philippine Space Agency, and for other Purposes,” also known as the “Philippine Space Act,” which was signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on August 8, 2019.

Under Section 24 of R.A. No. 11363, it was legislated that the Philippines shall ratify the Liability Convention and the Registration Convention. Similarly, under Section 2(f), it is stated that the Philippines shall abide by the various international space treaties and principles promulgated by the United Nations as an active participant in the international space community. The Philippine Space Agency itself is actively pushing for the Philippine Space Agenda to enable it to perform its mandate effectively.

Objective

The objectives of the webinar are as follows:

1. To understand the mandate of the Philippine Space Agency (PHILSA) and the Philippine Space Agenda;

2. To understand the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in furthering international space cooperation;

3. To gain a better understanding of the various agreements on international space cooperation; and

4. To bring awareness to the various agreements on international space cooperation agreements/initiatives and serve as a consultation mechanism among the relevant stakeholders, thus enabling PHILSA and DFA to propose ways forward.