Press Release – Moon Village Association (MVA) first participation in the UN COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee

Vienna, Austria – (February 19, 2020)

By the Resolution 74/82 adopted by the General Assembly of the UN on 13 December 2019, at its 47th plenary meeting, the Moon Village Association (MVA) has been granted the observer status with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS).

The 57th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of UN COPUOS, which took place in Vienna on February 3 – 14, 2020, marked the first participation of MVA as an observer to UN COPUOS.

MVA President, Dr Giuseppe Reibaldi, presented on February 6th, a statement on the activity of MVA and made also a technical presentation on the results of the Moon exploration Global Survey. Both documents can be found on the UN OOSA and MVA websites (https://moonvillageassociation.org/copuos-stsc-february-2020-download-the-mva-statement-and-the-technical-presentation/).

The Moon exploration Global Survey, was conducted in cooperation with the World Space Week Association between September and December 2019, being the first survey, on a global scale, on the matters of Moon Exploration and Utilization. The survey was done both for adults and for kids, and was available in multiple languages. Interesting results were found and a new expanded global survey is proposed for 2020 in partnership with other organizations.

Dr Reibaldi stated that “The Moon Village Association and UN COPUOS have several common goals. I hope that MVA, starting from today, will become an important participant in COPUOS activities. The Association, as a multi-stakeholder permanent platform, is fostering cooperation of all countries in the world involved in the exploration and utilization of the Moon resources, this being the concept of the Moon Village. The MVA will introduce to UN COPUOS Moon specific issues, suggest solutions, as well as offers cooperation with the goal to involve as many countries as possible in the sustainable use of the Eight continent of the Earth, the Moon”.

MVA will participate at the session of the Legal Subcommittee (LSC) of UN COPUOS, from 23 March-3 April, with an important contribution related to the definition of best practice for sustainable lunar operations.

For more information, please contact:

Glafki Antoniou
Management Support and Public Relations
Email: yc.gr1731914508o.oes1731914508c@osa1731914508-avm1731914508

About the Moon Village Association 

The Moon Village Association (MVA) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Vienna, founded in 2017.Its goal is the creation of a permanent global informal forum for stakeholders like governments, industry, academia and the general public interested in the development of the Moon Village. The MVA is the assembling of all efforts from private industry, governments and others aimed to explore and use the Moon in a sustainable manner. Therefore, it is not a literal village on the Moon, it is not an ‘International Space Station on the Moon’, and it is not a single science facility. The MVA fosters cooperation for existing or planned Moon exploration programs, be they public or private initiatives. It comprises approximately 220 individual and 26 institutional members from more than 40 countries, representing a diverse array of technical, scientific, cultural and interdisciplinary fields. The MVA partners with non-space organizations to promote international discussions and formulation of plans to foster the development of the Moon Village, and is creating international, national and regional networks to engage civil society around the world. The Moon Village Association’s mission is unique, bridging together both spacefaring and non-spacefaring nations offering them the opportunity to play a role in its realization. There is no other organization on the international scene having such a mission.