The Centre for International Strategic Studies, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (CISS AJK), organized a webinar exploring the legal, strategic, and geopolitical challenges of lunar resource utilization and international space governance in the context of the 2026 UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee session.
🎙️ Moderator
Nimra Javed opened the webinar by highlighting the legal interpretation of space resource utilization, the strategic implications of lunar safety zones, and the importance of inclusive global space governance.
đź‘Ą Speakers and Discussion Highlights
🔹 Dr. Asma Shakir Khawaja emphasized international cooperation, the principle of non-appropriation, equitable access to space, and the importance of capacity building and benefit sharing for developing countries.
🔹 Dr. Gunes Unuvar examined the legal ambiguities surrounding commercial lunar resource extraction under the Outer Space Treaty and discussed the risk of de facto territorial control through safety zones and resource operations.
🔹 Prof. Dr. Najam Abbas Naqvi explored the technical necessity of lunar safety zones, their implications for access to lunar resources, and safeguards including transparency, proportionality, consultation, and non-exclusivity.
🔹 Dr. Ahmad Khan discussed Pakistan’s engagement with COPUOS, the role of developing countries in shaping international space law, equitable benefit sharing, and the need for a binding multilateral framework for lunar activities.
