24 Oct 2016

In the presence of the Minister of Education, Universities and Research, Stefania Giannini, the first International Forum on space research at ministerial level was convened in Trento, where the global challenges linked to protecting the Planet were discussed

“Today, space research can help address the global challenges facing mankind, both in the north and in the south of the world. In order to fuel the dream of a better future for the whole of mankind, we need to concentrate on knowledge and create networks, as we are doing here in Trento”.
These were the comments made by the Minister of Education, Universities and Research, Stefania Giannini, at the International Forum at ministerial level dedicated to space research and held in Trento. For the first time, the Ministries of Science, Universities and Research, space institutions, space agencies, representatives from international organizations and experts on space from 35 countries, representing Africa, America, Asia and Europe, gathered together, under the aegis of the International Austronautical Federation (IAF), the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), to discuss the ways in which the space agencies and universities can concretely contribute to the sustainability of future space programmes for peaceful purposes.

In fact, the final “manifesto”, created by all the delegations present, states that “space is not just a place located beyond the Earth's atmosphere, containing planets, stars and galaxies, but an environment populated with space technology and applications that permeate our daily lives. It is a global environment, capable of supporting and finding suitable solutions for global problems and for meeting challenges in order to benefit the human race. It is an environment that requires a high level of technical and scientific knowledge, as well as a multidisciplinary and multitasking approach, in line with the international cooperation required”.
The Universities and Academies are spread throughout the world and have a joint approach to training, education and research activities; their approach to cooperation provides an opportunity to establish a worldwide network of knowledge supporting the design, organization and valorisation of space activities, regardless of geographic location.

Also to be emphasized is the great influence and value characterizing the various Universities and Academies in different disciplines and skills, in technological development and geographic culture, thanks to the deeply-rooted connection to society and to their ability to inspire the younger generations.
Based on these premises, the interministerial summit in Trento identified three key points on which its action should be focused: climate change, a phenomenon that has negative effects in various fields, among which agriculture, health, sea level, the marine ecosystem and wildlife, not to mention the risks for the planet's water sources.

Managing “Big Data”: the impressive volume and variety of the data provided by the Space Systems space activities represents an opportunity to explore a large number of possible applications for protecting our ecosystem and much more.
Protecting the Earth: for our complex and fragile planet, studies, knowledge and an ability to intervene need to be implemented at global level.

All these paradigmatic cases have a global impact on the human community and require common understanding and innovative and responsible education in order to provide coordinated global answers linked to a priority plan and correlated actions. In the words of Roberto Battiston, president of the Italian Space Agency, “The Manifesto of Trento will be the milestone of a journey that we want to implement regionally on every continent, in order to provide greater evidence of the will to collaborate and of the opportunities offered by space”.
The opportunity of involving academies and universities in the programmes and in the space activities and, in particular, of increasing their ability to create, at local and regional level – along with the need to cooperate bilaterally and multilaterally by sharing intellectual and non-intellectual resources, in a consistent, global and balanced approach aimed at creating a worldwide network of space knowledge and training human capital for an inclusive and effective society – has the goal of globally connecting people who use science, space research and knowledge of space, for a consistent and coherent action.

This goal integrates fully with the UNISPACE + 50 preparation process, promoted by the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in 2018, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Conference of the United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE), the aim of which is to focus international attention on the global governance of space.