On November 11th and 12th, representatives from GMV attended the Paris Peace Forum 2022. This is an annual event that since 2018 has been highlighting projects and initiatives that are addressing global challenges, in areas such as demographic crises, armed conflicts, climate change, digital ethics and security, and space sustainability.

Based on the idea that international cooperation is essential in order to confront these universal challenges and achieve long‑lasting peace, the Paris Peace Forum provides a space that brings together high-level participants including heads of state, international organizations, local governments, NGOs, charitable foundations, corporations, media outlets, trade unions, religious groups, and ordinary citizens, to engage in dialogue and seek common solutions.

With the theme of “Riding Out the Multi-Crisis”, this year’s 5th edition of the event was attended by Miguel Ángel Molina, GMV’s Deputy General Manager of Space Systems EST, and Marius Stanciu-Manolescu, GMV’s Coordinator of SST&STM Policy and Regulation, who both participated in roundtable discussions on the subject of the Net Zero Space initiative, which counts GMV as one of its signatories. During the roundtable entitled “Towards Interoperable Norms to Protect Earth’s Orbital Environment”, which considered the recommendations of the initiative’s working group on developing regulations to reduce the creation of space debris, Mr. Molina emphasized the hazards presented by the worsening situation caused by debris in orbit, along with the importance of creating better regulations on the subject. He also participated in the roundtable entitled “Collision Avoided: Cooperating Globally to Mitigate Risks of Collision in Orbit”, which was dedicated to the need to find a common focus, in order to respond in a coordinated way to emergencies caused by potential in‑orbit collisions.

In addition to the sessions already mentioned, the representatives from GMV also participated in the roundtable discussions entitled “Operating on the Moon in a Safe and Sustainable Way: A Case for Improving Information Exchanges” and “The Value of Inclusion in Space: Addressing the World’s Economic Inequality for the Benefit of Outer Space”.

The Paris Peace Forum 2022 was also an opportunity to celebrate the first anniversary of the Net Zero Space initiative and provide an update on its recent evolution. In particular, the results of the work performed during the last 12 months was summarized, in relation to the goal of protecting the Earth’s orbital environment and generating political momentum to address the global emergency existing in relation to space rights. As emphasized by Marius Stanciu-Manolescu, GMV’s Coordinator of SST&STM Policy and Regulation, the company “is a proud member of the Net Zero Space initiative, which now has more than 50 members, all with the goal of confronting the space debris emergency. Now more than ever, actors from all over the world, at all positions in the value chain, are ready to take urgent measures to achieve the very necessary goal of space sustainability.”

As he explained during the event, “space is a shared asset that offers important opportunities and services, as well as significant social, economic, scientific, and strategic benefits for all of humanity. GMV is committed to continuing its work on developing solutions designed to guarantee the safety and sustainability of space operations.”

GMV joined the Net Zero Space initiative in February of this year. This is a platform that brings together top‑level actors from throughout the value chain of any space mission, with the aim of confronting the pressing need for a consensus on how to tackle the growing problem of space pollution. It is also focused on finding urgent, concrete agreements and solutions as the year 2030 approaches.