Statement by His Excellency Ambassador Nassereddin Heidari Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to UNESCAP Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific Agenda Item 3: Report on the implementation of the Jakarta Ministerial Declaration and the Asia-Pacific Plan of Action on Space Applications for Sustainable Development (2018–2030), phase II (2022–2026) Bangkok, Wednesday 28th October 2026, 10:00-16:00 ICT   In the name of God, the beneficent, the merciful Mr. Chair, (Madam Executive Secretary), Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen First I would like to take note of the Secretariat Report with regards to the implementation of the Phase 2 of the Asia-Pacific Plan of Action as well as the Jakarta Ministerial Declaration on Space Applications for Sustainable Development. Four years ago, when the Jakarta Ministerial Declaration was adopted, global dynamics were much less fragmented than the world of today. In 2022, common challenges such as COVID-19 was fresh in the memory as imperatives of a collective approach. Today, we are seeing unprecedented advances in the AI domain and discover more interlinkages with other areas such as Space Observation data and analysis, against such backdrop, some countries actively resist any consensus formation and even boast about being the first to weaponize the Extraterrestrial domain.     Distinguished Delegates For more than eight months, my county has been the subject of a brutal campaign of criminal military aggression and state-sponsored terrors of senior officials including Grand Ayatollah Khamenei the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and other noble commanders and scientists with their families as well as systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure such as space facilities, space research centers and institutions as well as various ICT foundations and observatories which oversees satellite communication, data processing and analysis. It goes without saying that such disruptive attacks undermine the long-term sustainability of outer space activities which fundamentally depend on the safety, security, integrity and reliability of infrastructure that enables the monitoring, analysis, coordination, and control of satellites as well as data gathered from space. Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the rights to seek reparations for the damages done to its space infrastructure through viable means in accordance with the preemptory norms of international law. It should also be noted that the interconnected nature of space activities means that sabotaging internationally beneficial space-based services, including environmental monitoring, disaster management, and global telecommunications undermine the collective interest of people in the region who benefit from the peaceful use of outer space. In this vein, I would like to emphasize that the activities by the Asian and Pacific Center for Development of Disaster Information Management or APDIM which is headquartered in Tehran has been dramatically affected by this criminal aggression and likewise countries that have benefited from its services have found it harder to do so with disruptions. That is why, we propose more robust interlinkages between the networks of institutions that provide similar services such as space-related data especially those for disaster risk reduction and management as well as monitoring hazards so that our combined efforts do not amount to the weakest link in the chain, rather a reinforcing network of providers that are able to support the entire Asia and the Pacific region.   In this connection the Joint APDIM and Regional Space Cooperation Organizations Capacity Building and Action Plan, including enhancing transboundary Disaster Risk Management and Sand /Dust Storm (SDS) Monitoring in Asia-Pacific using space applications, is hereby suggested. Thank you for your attention.