Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum convenes session in Hanoi

ABO/NDO- The 28th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-28) is taking place in Hanoi under the theme “Bridging Space Innovations Opportunities for Sustainable and Prosperous Future”.

The four-day session features meetings of working groups on November 15 -16 and plenary sittings on November 17 - 18. It attracts over 350 delegates from 34 countries and territories.

In his remarks on November 17, President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) Chau Van Minh said the strong development of science and technology over the past decade and the engagement of not only governments but also private enterprises and startups have helped space technology, the most advanced science at present, be present more intensively and extensively in social life around the world.

He cited a 2020 report by the UN Economic and Social Council as saying that space science, technology, and data made certain direct or indirect contributions to the realisation of the Sutainable Development Goals in countries around the world.

The delegates attending the APRSAF-28 (Photo: NDO).

Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific, which creates about 60% of the world’s GDP and two-thirds of global growth and is also home to more than half of the global population, gathers many big economies with advanced technology. Many countries in the region have effectively applied space technology to promoting sustainable development and obtain strong growth in the recent past, he noted.

Minh expressed his hope that with experiences in space technology research and application shared at the event, cooperation will be further enhanced to build a strong and united space community in the region to cope with regional and global issues in the coming decades, and work towards sustainable and prosperous development in each nation.

APRSAF-28 focuses on sharing and updating information about space activities and future plans of each country and region in Asia-Pacific, and discussing and seeking chances for cooperation among APRSAF members.

Founded in 1993, the APRSAF aims to boost the development of space programmes in each country and share visions towards future space cooperation in Asia-Pacific.

This year, the 28th session is held by the VAST’s Vietnam National Space Centre, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

(Source: NDO)