Topic: Private Sector Access to Outer Space
Country: Netherlands
Delegate Name: Faith Schafer
School: Williamston High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Netherlands position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Space is a place that has fascinated all people for thousands of years. It was charted and named, guessed about and those facts eventually proven or disproven. Then, planes were invented, taking people through the air like nothing ever had before. Only a few decades later, rockets took people to the “final frontier”. Now that there is no longer a limit on how high we can go, everyone wants a section of this uncharted territory, and there are clashing opinions on how it can be and should be used. The United States and the Soviet Union’s competition after the second World War led to a lot of concern amongst all countries, and a repeat of that over the sharing of outer space could be disastrous. Should private spaceflight be allowed, or should the regions of outer space be kept neutral, solely for research and the development of new and advanced technology? The system is growing competitive, and it is up to us to decide fairly and reach an agreement on how it can be used.
The Netherlands is very eager to work to reach an agreement that will be to the benefit of everyone. The only way that the Netherlands has been able to explore the areas in space is through the cooperation and lead of other countries working with them to let the Netherlands have the same opportunities as other parts of the world. Then, the issue of private sector access was formulated. Certainly, commercial spaceflight would provide more funding to the space program, but is that our goal? The Netherlands is open to working with other countries to reach an agreement. The Netherlands wants to build our economy, but also to keep the country secure and improve the safety of the space program, and reaching an agreement on this matter will help the Netherlands to take measures so that, whatever is decided, they can be sure that their country is in agreement. The Netherlands wants to be able to research and explore outer space and not limit the heights that other countries can reach, but also to work with other countries so that the area stays neutral.
In regard to the issues going on, the Netherlands wants to be able to enhance the space technology, but limit the spread so that it is not too rapid and harmful for the people everywhere. They also want to work to keep space neutral, so that everyone has access to research opportunities there, just like we have enjoyed for many years. The United Nations needs to be able to reach a conclusion on what they want to do for the best of all countries, and reach an agreement on the best way to share the wonders of outer space, and resolve this issue for the last time, so that this can become a worldwide agreement and we can always fall back on it when an issue arises. The Netherlands proposes a plan that will not limit, but also not favor countries with a strong space program, and at the same time, help lift up the smaller countries that need support. This will hopefully be to the benefit everyone, and will help keep the depths of outer space neutral.
