Special Political and Decolonization Committee

Agenda Item 1: Tension between the principle of peaceful use of outer space and national security concerns of States

Agenda Item 2: Dual-use satellite infrastructure and inadequacy of international legal frameworks

The Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL) is the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly and is responsible for addressing special political issues that affect international peace and security. Its mandate includes decolonization processes, peacekeeping operations, the question of Palestine, and the peaceful uses of outer space. SPECPOL functions as a key forum for discussing the balance between state sovereignty, collective security, and international cooperation.

The first agenda item, the tension between the principle of the peaceful use of outer space and states’ national security concerns, raises the question of whether outer space should be used solely for civilian and scientific purposes or also for military objectives. Although the 1967 Outer Space Treaty establishes peaceful use as a core principle, increasing security threats, ballistic missile defense systems, and military surveillance activities have led states to perceive outer space as a strategic security domain. This development has created a significant conflict between peaceful use commitments and national defense policies.

The second agenda item, the dual use nature of satellite infrastructure for civilian and military purposes and the inadequacy of international law, focuses on legal gaps arising from modern space technologies. Communication, navigation, and observation satellites serve civilian needs while simultaneously supporting military operations. Existing international legal frameworks fail to clearly regulate these dual use systems or effectively prevent their militarization. Both agenda items are therefore closely interconnected, as they address the growing militarization of outer space and the challenge of safeguarding peaceful use principles under contemporary security conditions.