—— 22.08.2023 – For immediate release ——
Space Renaissance International (SRI) and the National Space Society (NSS), on behalf of 47 space advocacy organizations (this alliance is expanding), will host a panel at the United Nations in New York, on the 15th of September, 2023, from 9:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., to officially present their proposal for an 18th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), focused on Space Development, to be added to the U.N. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The hybrid panel will take place in the U.N. district, United Nations Plaza, 777 11th Floor, just in front of the U.N. headquarters[1].
In addition to SRI and NSS, the coalition includes The Mars Society, the Lifeboat Foundation, the Human Space Program, the Moon Society, Beyond Earth Institute, Space Development Foundation, EarthLight Foundation, space agencies, educational institutions, and other organizations. The complete list of Co-promoters may be found online at: https://spacerenaissance.space/the-space18sdg-proposer-organizations/.
The 18th SDG proposal was initially announced at U.N. COPUOS session 66th (on June 5, 2023) by Karlton Johnson (on behalf of NSS, SRI, and the co-promoters coalition).The 18th SDG fosters Universal and Sustainable Space Development, Space for All, on Earth, and Beyond. The Space 18th SDG coalition underscores the tremendous social significance of the 17 SDGs and of 2030 – a critical date and key turning point in human history. Before this date, some meaningful steps have to be undertaken to ensure full sustainability for human development, launching the expansion of life, communities, civilian activities, and the earthly biome beyond the limits of planet Earth. These activities will require a strong and sustainable global commitment to a strategy facilitating and boosting research and financial engagement that can significantly reduce the cost of space vehicles and space flight, protect human life and health in space, and design closed ecosystems with vegetation and water inside. The proposed 18th SDG will focus on the above goals and more – enabling significant contributions of space development to enhance global development and sustainability – and soliciting all of the interested dealers to make their part to overcome this great challenge.
As stated in the 1986 U.N. resolution, “development” is a universal civil right[2]. Accordingly[3], earthlings must now decisively collaborate to expand civilization into outer space, populating the geo-lunar space and the solar system with communities and industrial activities, progressively moving our industrial development beyond Earth’s surface, allowing Earth’s planetary ecosystems to restore, earthly wildlife to rejuvenate, oceans to recover, and environmental pollution to be mitigated.
Adding an 18th SDG to the 2030 Agenda to promote the Sustainable Development of Space will also provide urgent and essential information to the public regarding the profound humanistic reasons for expanding civilizations beyond Earth.
“Space4All enhances the development of science, technology, peace, business, education, and inspiration for all citizens, and extending it on Earth and beyond is a key to our ecosystem survival, progress, responsible legacy, and space Renaissance for our future,” says Bernard Foing, president of Space Renaissance International.
Alfred Anzaldúa, National Space Society (NSS), Board of Directors Member, NSS UN COPUOS Coordinator: “A Space 18th SDG would be a beacon to guide Earth-Life into space to help fulfill the 17 SDGs in the long-term. The Earth’s resources are finite, while space and its resources are virtually infinite. Only by expanding human communities and their supporting life forms into space can we achieve long-term sustainability for humans and supporting life forms everywhere, including on Earth.”
Adriano V. Autino, Founder of Space Renaissance International: “The five years from 2025 to 2030 could be the most critical period in human history, in which several social, economic, and environmental processes will come to a combined breaking point. Against the many bleak prospects, the only perspective capable of giving hope and psychological power to the good willing peoples of Planet Earth is to kick off expanding civilization into outer space, before 2030. This is the profound meaning of the Space 18th SDG.”
Learn how to join the Space18thSDG coalition and support the proposal: https://space18thsdg.space/
Follow the 15th September Panel on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/3dyrsT5jtaM
Sign the petition for #Space18SDG on Change.org: https://www.change.org/space18sdg
Contacts: adriano.autino@spacerenaissance.org +39 335 8244435
alfred.anzaldua@nss.org +1 520 4095797
[1] NOTE: The session takes place in the center of the UN quarter in New York City, across from UN Headquarters, in conjunction with General Assembly No. 78, 2023. However, the session is in no way recognized nor sponsored by the UN.
[2] Declaration on the Right to Development adopted 04 December 1986 by General Assembly resolution 41/128 https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/declaration-right-development
[3] “We are committed to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want.” The resolution, adopted by the General Assembly 55/2. United Nations Millennium Declaration https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_55_2.pdf
Space Renaissance France (French Chapter of SRI) 
Space Renaissance USA, Inc. (USA Chapter of SRI)
Space Renaissance (Italian Chapter of SRI)
Space Renaissance India (Indian Chapter of SRI)
African Space Renaissance (African Chapter of SRI)
Space Renaissance Academy
Space Renaissance Initiative Group