Space and Global Health/Science Policy Interface

The United Nations - Office of Outer Space Affairs has a Scientific and Technical Subcommittee STSC of the Committee Of Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS^[1]), that serves as a science policy interface.

Working Group for Space and Global Health consists of two organisational structure:

(Political/Organisational Level at UNOOSA) the Expert Focus Group with official meetings at the UN COPUOS^[2] is the organisational Network Hub between Space and Health domain, i.e. WHO, UNOOSA, ESA, national Public Health Agency...).^[3]^[4]
(Implementation Level in a Community of Practice) Community of Practice can be regarded as sensor network in communities, that perform risk mitigation strategies, research and development in the context of Space and Global Health. For the Working Group it can be helpful to identify key requirements and constraints for policy making that improve Risk Mitigation, applications of Space Technology in the health domain and support evidence based implementation and decision making by application of space technology in the Global Health domain.

The Open Community Approach allows user-driven innovation that can be institutionalized in a Living Lab. Capacity Building and learning is a key element for global health risk management. Derived from the results of AT6FUI as a member state activity, the feedback from Community of Practice to the political level

shows obstacles for implementation of risk mitigations strategies that might have relevance for the policy level

and vice-versa

could identify recommendations from the policy level to the community of practice, that could be addressed in scientific projects or humanitarian or global health related interventions and help to leverage the potential of space technology in the health domain.

Learning Task

WHO is responsible for science policy interface on the global scale with interface to national public health agencies. UNOOSA is responsible for the science policy interface. Identify the requirements and constraints of a science policy interface between WHO and UNOOSA and describe how policy making has an impact on science and scientific results have an impact policy making. Find examples for the science policy interface in general and in the health domain.
Explain if and how is technological innovation and development is dependent on a legal framework. International coordination is relevant with the domain of space technology UNOOSA (e.g. mega constellation, "Is the enough space in space?") and in the health domain e.g. for epidemics and regulation for notifiable diseases (WHO). What areas of international regulations are required for the interoperability between the space and the health domain.