Space Generation Advisory Council

Last updated
Space Generation Advisory Council
Company typeNon-governmental organisation
Industry Space
Founded Vienna, Austria (July 1999 (1999-07))
Headquarters Vienna, Austria
Members25,000+ members from 165 countries
Website www.spacegeneration.org

The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), in support of the United Nations Program on Space Applications, is a non-governmental organization and professional network, whose goal is to convey the perspectives of students and young space professionals to the United Nations (UN), space industry, space agencies, and academia.

Contents

About

The SGAC is a network of students, young professionals, and alumni in the space industry that currently represents over 27,000 members across 165 countries. SGAC operates in the six official languages of the United Nations, though the official working language is English.[ citation needed ]

Since 2018, SGAC has been an official Partner of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). SGAC involves its membership in the development of a progressive space policy that supports advancing humanity through the peaceful use of space.[ citation needed ] Membership with SGAC is free of charge.

As a non-profit organization, SGAC relies on the sponsorship and support of governmental, non-governmental, and industry organizations and support via donations from individuals.

History

In December 1997, the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs Secretariat invited the International Space University (ISU) to organize a young adult forum, as part of the UNISPACE III Conference in July 1999 in Vienna. The result was the Space Generation Forum (SGF), wherein 160 young people from 60 different countries discussed topics relating to the progress of space exploration, which included: science, engineering, technology, law, ethics, art, literature, anthropology, and architecture. More than 100 visions and ideas were generated during the conference, written as recommendations.[ citation needed ]

The ten most impactful ideas were integrated into the "Declaration of the Space Generation", approved by the UNISPACE III Plenary as the SGF's Technical Report (refer UN-Document A/Conf.184/L.14). Five of these ten recommendations were adopted into the Vienna Declaration on Space and Human Development. One of the recommendations was "to create a council to support the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space by raising awareness and exchanging fresh ideas among young adults. The vision is to employ the creativity and vigor of younger generations in advancing humanity through the peaceful uses of space." From this, the Space Generation Advisory Council in Support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications was established.[ citation needed ]

In 2001, SGAC earned Permanent Observer status in UN COPUOS, and in 2003, SGAC earned consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The organization officially opened its headquarters at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in 2005 in Vienna and hired its first paid employee in 2006. Today, the organization's professional network comprises over 27,000 members from 165+ countries (updated: 2023) in 6 different geographic regions.[ citation needed ]

Organization

The leadership consists of an executive council, two elected co-chairs, and 12 elected regional coordinators (two per UN region). [1] [2] The Executive Council is supported by an appointed Executive Committee, which is made up of a treasurer, executive secretaries, event managers, and other executive team members. The rest of the organization is made up of the National Points of Contact, up to two per participating nation, and the 27,000+ members who support the Space Generation Network.[ citation needed ]

A General Assembly is held annually and brings together the National Points of Contact and the Executive Council to approve or reject propositions introduced by the Executive Council and to change the statutes of the organization.[ citation needed ]

SGAC works with many external space-related organizations from all around the world. The list of SGAC partners includes organizations from industry, government, academia, and other non-profits. A complete list of the sponsors and supporters is available on the SGAC website.[ citation needed ]

The organization receives advice from its advisory and honorary boards.[ citation needed ]

Advisory Board

SGAC's Advisory Board is designed to give strategic direction and advice to SGAC in order to help guide the organization in the fulfillment of its goals and objectives. It provides feedback on the work of the organization and suggests ways in which to improve its functions and its engagement. The board is composed of twelve board members, each of whom serves for a two-year term. The advisory board members are members of the international space community.[ citation needed ]

Honorary Board

SGAC’s Honorary Board is composed of individuals who have served the organization in the past and whom SGAC wishes to "recognize for their furtherance of goals similar to those of SGAC".[ citation needed ]

Executive Director

SGAC’s executive director is in charge of:

Operations Officer

SGAC’s Operations Officer is responsible for supporting the management of SGAC's operations. This includes project planning, scheduling and managing, capacity and utilization management, delegating work to meet deliverables, and tracking the status of outstanding work from the different SGAC teams.[ citation needed ]

Chairs

SGAC’s Co-Chairs are elected for a two-year mandate by the SGAC Executive Committee and are responsible for leading the Executive Committee and supervising the activities of the SGAC staff, contractual obligations, and financial activities.

Regional Coordinators

SGAC’s Regional Coordinators are members of the SGAC Executive Committee. They coordinate activities in their region, oversee the work of the National Points of Contact, have voting rights on SGAC issues at the Executive Committee, and elect the Co-Chairs of the organization.[ citation needed ]

Activities

SGAC involvement with the UN

The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) has a global presence with a diverse member base, and engages across various sectors within the space industry. Outputs from SGAC's events and project groups significantly contribute to shaping space policy at various levels.[ citation needed ]

These contributions have been acknowledged and cited by numerous delegations within the context of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS).[ citation needed ]

Events

Regional, Local, and Online Events can be organized by any SGAC members by submitting a proposal on the SGAC Events Platform.

Project Groups

SGAC is divided into several topical focus-groups, called Project Groups (PGs). Each PG is dedicated to a distinct space-related topic (see below) and serves as a platform within which the young space community can share their opinions, discuss, and debate current issues. This structure is designed to consolidate the expertise that exists within the SGAC network and draw in the targeted knowledge, skills and capabilities of young space leaders for the peaceful advancement of space. This structure also ensures coordination among the various segments of the organization.[ citation needed ]

As of 2020, the organization has a number of active projects:

Scholarships

The SGAC works to provide financial resources for its members to increase youth input and engagement on international space issues. The organization awards numerous scholarships throughout the year to university students and young professionals. These scholarships allow a greater number of members to take part in the international space policy creation process from attendance and presentations at UN COPUOS to participating in SGAC's annual congress, the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), or issue-specific seminars around the world. The Scholarship page of SGAC regularly publishes the available scholarship opportunities to attend the Space Generation Congress (SGC), International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Space Generation Fusion Forum (SGFF), Space Symposium (SS), Space Generation Workshops (SGWs) and other space events.[ citation needed ]

Professional Development

With the exception of the SGAC Executive Director and SGAC Operations Manager, all leadership positions and members of SGAC serve the organization on a voluntary basis. SGAC posts vacancies every month which can be consulted on the SGAC vacancies page. Volunteering with SGAC allows members to be recognized internationally as part of the organization’s leadership on the SGAC Team webpage and offers opportunities to develop as leaders in the space sector.[ citation needed ]

Alumni and mentoring programs

The alumni program was launched at the Space Generation Forum 2.0 in 2018 (after a series of successful alumni activities from 2015-2018) to help reconnect with SGAC Alumni and use the potential of the SGAC alumni network to support other SGAC activities. SGAC Alumni are registered SGAC members who care about the SGAC mission and vision but are over the age limit of SGAC (past their 36th birthday). SGAC organizes a series of activities to help connect its current members with the SGAC alumni and helps facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences in this context. These activities include SGAC Alumni Gatherings, SGAC: Through the Generations events, Alumni Spotlight, and mentoring SGAC members as advisors to different projects. [3]

At the Space Generation Forum 2.0 in June 2018 in Vienna, one of the key recommendations presented in recognition of the UNISPACE+50 is to foster development and support in the space sector through mentoring. In response, SGAC created a Mentoring Program for its members. The aim of this program is to connect SGAC members with experts in the space field, especially through the network of SGAC Alumni. Through a mentoring program, SGAC hopes its members will be able to receive support and guidance as they continue to advance in their careers. [4]

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References

  1. Malgran, Dan. "United Nations". Space Generation Advisory Council. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  2. SGAC Executive Director explaining the work of SGAC at UN COPUOS . Retrieved 2024-04-12 via www.youtube.com.
  3. Dietmayer, Katrin; Brettle, Harriet. "SGAC Alumni". Space Generation Advisory Council. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. Bentil, Laud. "Mentoring Program at SGAC". Space Generation Advisory Council. Retrieved 2024-04-12.