Dispute Settlement in Space Law

MAUREEN WILLIAMS

Workshop; UN/Argentina Workshop on Space Law; 2013

Naciones Unidas (COPUOS)

ABSTRACT An important landmark in the field of dispute settlement was 6 December 2011 when the PCA Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Outer Space Activities -hereinafter the PCA Rules on Outer Space, or simply the ?PCA Rules?- were adopted as a follow up to the PCA Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Natural Resources and /or the Environment, an area of close points of contact with the use of space technologies in the current international scenarios. The official text of these rules is available in English and French on the PCA website (www.pca-cpa.org)and as an Annex to this presentation.   One of the main characteristics of these Rules is that, unlike the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage caused by Space Objects, not only states and international intergovernmental organisations may de parties thereof, but also private parties.