الشارقة 24 – وام:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has solidified its position as a proactive partner in international efforts to utilise space technology for humanitarian purposes. This was particularly evident during its six-month presidency of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, making it the first Arab nation and the first in the Middle East and Africa to hold this leadership role. The Charter comprises various space agencies that provide satellite data free of charge to assist emergency response teams during large-scale disasters.
On 19 October 2026, the UAE Space Agency formally handed over the presidency of the Charter to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) during the 56th Governing Council meeting held in Tokyo. This transition marked the conclusion of the UAE’s presidency, which lasted from 20 April 2026 to October 2026, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) that provided technical support in training and capacity building.
His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, stated that the Charter has demonstrated the significance of international collaboration in space efforts for over 25 years, underlining the UAE’s pride in contributing to this mission and utilising its national capabilities to support humanitarian efforts.
Dr. Al Falasi added that the UAE’s assumption of the presidency reflects its commitment to being a reliable partner in addressing shared challenges and enhancing international cooperation, in line with the objectives of the National Space Strategy 2031. He extended his wishes for success to JAXA in its continued development of the Charter’s initiatives.
Coordination and Contributions During the Presidency
Eng. Salem Baty Al Qubaisi, Director-General of the UAE Space Agency, emphasised that the effectiveness of the Charter relies on the integrated roles of international partners, ensuring collective efforts to alleviate the burden of disaster response on affected nations. He noted that satellite operators, analysts, disaster management entities, and UN partners function within a comprehensive system to support response operations.
During its presidency, the UAE coordinated these efforts and enhanced the participation of national institutions in the Charter’s activities, preparing them for future contributions to its operations. Al Qubaisi expressed gratitude to national partners, the ESA, and Charter members for their collaboration.
Throughout the presidency, the Charter was activated 28 times in response to disasters such as floods, earthquakes, wildfires, landslides, storms, and volcanic activities across 18 countries spanning Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. Charter members provided over 8,000 satellite datasets, including archival images allowing comparisons of conditions before and after disasters, alongside 457 analytical products supporting response teams in directing their operations.
Enhanced Local and International Cooperation
Emirati institutions participated in 12 activations of the Charter, contributing through the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Space 42, the Technology Innovation Institute, and Tactica. Their inputs included providing satellite imagery, geospatial data analysis, mapping, and damage assessment.
Locally, the UAE Space Agency coordinated efforts with the UAE International Aid Agency and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, while enhancing international collaboration with space agencies and UN organisations focused on disaster management, aiming to expand access to space data and support rapid response efforts.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre is actively working to make high-resolution optical images captured by the Mohammed bin Zayed Satellite available for resources, while Space 42 is integrating its radar satellite system, Foresight, which captures images through clouds and at night. This advancement is expected to enhance the use of Emirati optical and radar data in future disaster response operations.
Training and Capacity Building Initiatives
As part of its commitment to sustain national and international engagement, the UAE Space Agency focused on training specialists in managing response operations and analysing satellite data, converting it into maps and information that facilitate decision-making. In April, the agency hosted a specialised training session in Abu Dhabi, collaborating with the ESA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, leading to the recognition of four Emirati institutions—United Arab Emirates University, Technology Innovation Institute, Space 42, and University of Sharjah—as value-added information producers.
In August, the agency organised a regional training programme in Accra, Ghana, lasting four days, with support from the UAE International Aid Agency and participation from 30 trainees from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin, and Gambia. This programme focused on Charter activation procedures, satellite image analysis, and disaster response mapping, supported by technical assistance from the ESA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, while coordinating with Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organisation, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Expanding Global Benefits and Recognitions
In an effort to broaden the benefits of the Charter’s services, the UAE Space Agency partnered with the French National Centre for Space Studies to support the Royal Centre for Space Remote Sensing in Morocco through specialized training and simulation exercises. These efforts resulted in Morocco receiving user-authorised status in August, allowing it to directly activate the Charter during major disasters.
The agency also backed the Sierra Leone National Disaster Management Agency’s request for this status, following the participation of its specialists in the training programme in Accra, with the request now undergoing official review by the Charter.
In recognition of the Charter’s contributions to enhancing international cooperation and leveraging space technology for humanitarian purposes, the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters received the Global Space Award for 2026 from the International Astronautical Federation. Dr. Ahmad Belhul Al Falasi accepted the award on behalf of the Charter’s contributors and partners during the opening ceremony of the 77th International Astronautical Congress held in Antalya, Turkey, in the presence of His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey.