Thank you, Madam President. Let me begin by thanking SRSG Perthes for his briefing, and commend his and his team’s continued efforts in challenging circumstances.

Before focusing on the situation in Sudan, I wanted to note the concerns raised by the Government of Sudan in its 22 March letter to the Council. The United Kingdom fully supports UNITAMS’ efforts to monitor and report on the situation in Sudan, including human rights, as mandated by this Council. For the appropriate support to be provided by the Mission, it is essential for UNITAMS to be able to provide a full and balanced representation of the situation in Sudan in its reporting.

Madam President, since we last discussed Sudan, there has been little cause for optimism. The military seized power on 25 October, claiming that the civilian-led government was failing to deliver on key aspects of the transition. In the five months since, the suffering of ordinary Sudanese people has increased. They continue to face violence, including as we heard sexual violence, human rights abuses, economic hardship and humanitarian crises.

The civilian-led government inherited enormous challenges in 2019. Despite difficulties faced by the transition, Sudan was on a path to a more peaceful, prosperous and stable future. Regrettably, the coup has put these gains at risk, including on economic reform, the peace process and human rights, and it is our sincere hope that there can soon be a return to such progress .

In this regard, we welcome the collaboration between the UN and the African Union, in particular the efforts of SRSG Perthes and AU Envoy Lebatt towards the next phase of talks, with the aim of restoring the transition. There is a great opportunity to end the political crisis. We are encouraged by the consensus on issues like the need for a civilian cabinet, justice and accountability, and the role of women in the transition.

We urge all parties, including the military, to engage fully and in good faith in the next phase of talks.

We deplore the loss of at least 88 lives since the coup began. These people were killed while calling for freedom, peace and justice – something that thousands of Sudanese people continue to do, despite the threat of violence. We urge the authorities to allow protest without violence, to lift the state of emergency and to release political detainees, journalists and activists.

Madam President, the political crisis and actions of the military have contributed to delays in implementing the Juba Peace Agreement, leading to further violence and marginalisation in areas like Darfur.

And, a regrettable consequence of the coup is the economic hardship and increasing humanitarian need across the country. The United Kingdom has a strong track record of providing economic, humanitarian and political support to Sudan.

Let us be clear, it is the actions of the military that have led to the pause in international economic support. We hope the early restoration of a credible, civilian-led transitional government can create the conditions for much needed economic reforms and for international support, including debt relief, to resume.

Instead of calling on the international community to provide economic assistance, let us instead call on the Sudanese stakeholders, especially the military, to reach the sustainable political agreement needed to enable the resumption of such support.

In conclusion, Madam President, the United Kingdom remains committed to supporting Sudan’s journey to democracy, and the realisation of the Sudanese people’s calls for freedom, peace and justice. As a Council we should remain focused on these aspirations and support to the UN-AU-IGAD process.

Thank you.

Chair, Distinguished Delegates

Space has a way of bringing us all together around a common goal and we’re proud of our collective achievements through the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in the advancement of the peaceful use and exploration of outer space.

The United Kingdom appreciates that whilst we are here to talk about the peaceful uses of space, we cannot and should not ignore violations of international law when they occur on Earth.

Russia’s assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign democratic state. The UK and our international partners stand united in condemning the Russian government’s reprehensible actions, which are an egregious violation of international law including the UN Charter.

We call on Russia to urgently de-escalate and withdraw its troops. It must be held accountable and stop undermining democracy, global stability, and international law.

The UK also expresses our serious concern at the proposed establishment of a new regional centre for space science and technology education in the Russian Federation, which was referred to in UN General Assembly resolution 76/76 and which is supposedly meant to build partnerships across the Eurasian region.

Russia’s actions in recent weeks have demonstrated that it is not ‘peaceful’ and that it no longer holds the respect or endorsement of its Eurasian partners. We cannot ignore Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. These troublesome times show that it is not business as usual, and in this regard, we reiterate our serious concern at the proposed new regional centre.

Chair,

It is within this context, that I would like to provide an update to COPUOS on the progress taken by the UK to implement and operationalise our domestic regulations and strategies since the last Legal Sub-Committee.

In September 2021 the UK released its National Space Strategy. This first ever National Space Strategy brings together the UK’s strengths in science and technology, defence, regulation and diplomacy to pursue a bold national vision.

The Strategy highlights the UK’s commitment to work with industry and internationally to ensure we have the safest and most effective regulation of space activities. We will continually improve safety standards, implement relevant consents, and mitigate the negative environmental impacts of our space activities.

The UK’s Space Industry Act was enacted in 2018 and created an enabling framework for regulating space launch from the United Kingdom. In July 2021, the UK Space Industry Regulations which underpin the Space Industry Act were signed into law, enabling both horizontal and vertical launch from the UK.

These regulations also enabled the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to take on the role of the UK’s independent Spaceflight Regulator. The CAA will be providing a technical presentation tomorrow, 29 March in the morning session, on the approach to the regulation of UK activities, which you are all invited to.

Furthermore, our national legislation provides us with a mechanism to implement the commitments set out in the 21 agreed Long Term Sustainability (LTS) of space guidelines. The UK is playing a leading role in supporting an inclusive approach to capacity building and implementation of the LTS guidelines. The UK was pleased to fund our first project with UNOOSA which included publishing the LTS guidelines in all 6 official UN languages, convening international expert events and interviews with Member States on implementing the guidelines.

The UK also became the first country to annually submit a conference room paper setting out our national implementation of the guidelines.

The UK has significant experience in developing a new regulatory framework, and we are very happy to discuss our experiences with Member States considering doing the same.

As well as UK launch, the UK National Space Strategy highlights the commitment to position the UK at the forefront of modern regulation for novel space activities whilst keeping space sustainable, safe and secure.

This includes advancing UK missions involving in‑orbit debris removal, servicing, refuelling and assembly technologies – what we refer to under the umbrella term of proximity missions. We aim to bring together industry, academia, and government to ensure the UK is ready to grasp the opportunities of the future space economy. The UK sees the importance of these activities to contribute to the sustainability of space, utilising technology to extend the life of satellites in orbit and by removing hazardous debris. For such missions to be successful, close international collaboration is vital as well as transparency about activities within the international community.

It is our view that a cohesive international approach to the registration of space objects will provide a key foundation for developing international approaches to proximity missions as well as constellations and the utilisation of space resources.

The future use of space resources impacts us all. It will help us unlock deep space exploration, ensure the sustainability of human life on celestial bodies and will allow us to unlock new tools and technologies that were only previously considered stuff of fiction.

By signing the Artemis Accords, the UK is joining international partners to agree a common set of principles which will guide space exploration for years to come. The Artemis Accords will ensure a shared understanding of safe operations, use of space resources, minimising space debris and sharing scientific data.

We welcome the formation of a working group on space resources and look forward to beginning our work in this area. We wish to thank the Chair Andrzej Misztal and the Vice Chair Steven Freeland, for all their hard work on the terms of reference and work plan for the group. We will provide a further statement under the dedicated agenda item.

Chair, we look forward to a productive legal sub-committee. Thank you.

“Douglas Trumball died recently. A filmmaker and mastermind of visual effects, his pioneering work supervising the dazzling sequences in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey earned him critical acclaim. In some ways, the mysterious world of pupillage is like 2001. Initially, you wonder, what on earth is going on? Then, the journey begins in earnest. So much stuff is thrown at you. At the end, you look back and wonder what you just experienced in the knowledge that, as arduous as it could be, it was worth it.

My own journey to the Bar was a frustrating one; lots of HAL-like responses from recruiters along the lines of, “I’m sorry Jack, I’m afraid you can’t do that.” Hailing from modest means in Northern Ireland, the first in my family to go to university, and subsequently moving from the wee island to the big island to forge my career, it took 6 years of around 100 applications and perhaps a score of interviews before I was offered pupillage.

I commenced my training with the Government Legal Department (GLD) in September 2020. Government trains all its prospective lawyers – solicitors and barristers – over 2 years. Pupillage constitutes the first 12 months – which also make up the litigation year of GLD’s training scheme – in which barristers tend to work in immigration litigation before being seconded to a private set of chambers. I completed my second 6 months at Selborne Chambers, a commercial/chancery set, and qualified as a barrister in September 2021. I then commenced the first of 2 advisory seats at the Cabinet Office Europe Legal Advisers, where I worked on issues concerning the post-Brexit landscape. At the time of writing, I have recently begun my final training seat in GLD’s Commercial Law Group, sitting in the Home Office.

Looking back on my training to date, I do truly believe that GLD’s offer provides superlative opportunities to work at the forefront of incredibly interesting and varied practice areas. Although barristers in government cannot expect regular courtroom-based advocacy, we are exposed to headline-making, complex work at the dawn of our legal careers. In the litigation sphere, prospective applicants might expect to provide written advice, draft pleadings, instruct Counsel, conduct settlement negotiations, manage appeals and observe hearings. In Chambers, I was afforded a great degree of independence to provide comprehensive legal opinions, draft statements of case, carry out discreet research tasks and (on a limited basis) appear in the Upper Tribunal as an advocate in my own right upon receiving GLD instructions. In the advisory world, prospective applicants might anticipate providing concise advice on legal issues related to policy proposals, coordinating with other government departments, and potentially getting involved with bills and statutory instruments.

More generally, GLD offers an encouraging and inclusive environment, with plenty of opportunities to become involved with worthwhile corporate initiatives. I have also appreciated GLD’s support of the outside work I do as a Bar Council “I Am the Bar” Social Mobility Advocate for 2021/2022, a Lincoln’s Inn mentor, and occasional blogger (this profile piece being a case in point).

In closing, I say simply this: you can be rewarded in this profession, regardless of background, if you have the ability, know where to look, and do not give up. If you opt for GLD, you will be rewarded with excellent training and fascinating work.

Finally, apropos of Doug Trumball, if you can, honour his memory by checking out his feature film debut as director, Silent Running, especially if you fancy an outing at DEFRA.”