May 27-31 1996
Seoul, Republic of Korea

The Third Asia-Pacific Conference on Multilateral Cooperation in Space Technology and Applications (APC-MCSTA) hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) of the Republic of KOREA; in cooperation with China National Space Administration (CNSA), China; Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), Pakistan; and Space Development Committee (SDC) of the Ministry of Transport & Communications (MOTC), Thailand, was organized at Seoul, Republic of Korea with the participants from 15 countries and international agencies.

Bearing in mind the conclusions and recommendations of the Asia-Pacific Workshop on Multilateral Cooperation in Space Technology and Applications held in Beijing, China in November/December 1992; of the First APC-MCSTA held in Bangkok, Thailand in January 1994; and of the Second APC-MCSTA held in Islamabad, Pakistan in April 1995;

Acknowledging the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of these earlier three events of AP-MCSTA for greater multilateral/bilateral regional cooperation in the field of space;

Recognizing that space technology and its applications are playing an increasingly vital role in socio-economic development in the developed as well as the development countries of the world;

Realizingthe need to pool expertise and resources on multilateral/bilateral basis among the countries of the Asia-Pacific region in the field of space for the mutual benefit of the participating countries;

Nothing that the establishment of an Asia-Pacific space cooperation mechanism/organization would assist in the development of indigenous capabilities in space technology and related technologies in the region and would benefit the economy of the entire region as well;

The Conference participants recommend that:
(1) in the light of the recommendations of the second APC-MCSTA held in Islamabad, Pakistan in April 1995, the comprehensive document presented to the Plenary by the Secretariat of the Preparatory Committee (PREP-COM) for the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Mechanism, taking into account a two-phase approach towards institutionalization as well as such aspects as the structure, organization, management etc., of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Mechanism, should be circulated by the Secretariat of the PREP-COM among the Asia-Pacific countries for their comments.

(2) the Secretariat of the PREP-COM may continue to be located in Beijing, China until the formal establishment of the proposed Asia-Pacific regional space cooperation mechanism/organization. The headquarters of the space cooperation organization could be located in any regional country, as may be decided by mutual consent.

(3) the liaison established by the PREP-COM Secretariat with the European Space Agency (ESA) should be continued and further strengthened.

(4) the Asia-Pacific countries should be encouraged to participate in multilateral/bilateral cooperative projects in pertinent fields/areas, particularly the following, as identified in the earlier AP-MCSTA events:
a. Small Multi-Mission Satellite (SMMS) for applications in telecommunications, earth observations, meteorology, space science, etc.;
b. Satellite Disaster Mitigation System; (SDMS);
c. Communication Satellite Technology and Applications.

(5) the Coordinator of the Liaison Committee for AP-MCSTA (LCAP-MCSTA) may take steps to formalize the collaborative arrangements among the interested countries of the Asia-Pacific region for their participation in the Small Multi-Mission Satellite (SMMS) Project..

(6) taking into account the diversity of the projects proposed in the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Cooperation in Peaceful Applications of Space Technology, circulated by the Coordinator of the Liaison Committee in March 1996 among the Asia-Pacific countries, and also recommendation made by the Liaison Committee, after taking due consideration of the various suggestions made by the member countries in this regard, the MOU may be amended suitably by the Coordinator to highlight the SMMS Project and related activities, in the first instance, and circulated to the member countries with a view to their obtaining approval from their respective Government, as soon as possible, for signing the document. Subsequently a project Implementation Committee will be formed.

(7) the Coordinator of the Liaison Committee should circulate, among the Asia-Pacific countries the joint proposal on SMMS Project reviewed by the Working Group on Small Satellite Technology in April, 1996 for their information.

(8) the outline proposal prepared by the coordinator of the Working GROUP ON Communication Satellite Technology and Applications (Pakistan) and circulated among the members of the Working Group as well as to the other Asia-Pacific countries may be responded to, in order to generate a data base to provide information on systems (operational and planned), applications, facilities, services etc. related to the satellite communication available in the countries of the region.

(9) the Working Group on Satellite Disaster Mitigation System (SDMS) coordinated by China, should
（i.） explore the possibility and mode of cooperation for the formation of regional SDMS in Asia-Pacific region, with small satellites constellation;
（ii.） prepare a “Directory of Ground Segment for Asia-Pacific Satellite Disaster Mitigation System-19956/1996” after soliciting necessary input/information from the countries of the region.

(10) the LCAP-MCSTA may continue to seek, through a comprehensive questionnaire, information on the capabilities/facilities/programmes/activities in space science, technology and applications, including education/training facilities/opportunities in these fields, in all the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The information thus collected and complied should be circulated among all the Asia-Pacific countries, so that each country is aware of the capabilities, etc., of the other countries in these fields.

(11) those countries in the region which have well-developed programmes and adequate facilities in space science, technology and applications may continue to offer participation to other countries in the training programmes/courses conducted by them in these fields.

(12) more countries in the Asia-Pacific region should be encouraged to become the members of the Liaison Committee for AP-MCSTA, so that the AP-MCSTA initiative covers a larger number of countries, making it increasingly representative of the entire region.

(13) the Asia-Pacific countries are invited to nominate suitable persons from their national space organizations, or any other appropriate national agency/institution as their Contact Points or Representatives on the LCAP-MCSTA and the PREP-COM, if this has not been done so far.

(14) the LCAP-MCSTA should continue to coordinate with participating countries in enhancing public awareness in the region about the benefits of space technology as well as about AP-MCSTA activities.

(15) the LCAP-MCSTA may continue to maintain effective coordination and linkages with relevant agencies, inter alia, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA); the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) specially in the context of its Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development, and the space organizations of the developed countries, so that the activities undertaken by these agencies/programmes and the activities being carried out under the AP-MCSTA framework could mutually supplement and strengthen each other for the benefit of the region.

(16) agencies, such as international/regional financial institutions, relevant international agencies, concerned organizations in developed countries, etc., should be encouraged to associate with AP-MCSTA activities, so that support from them could be available to supplement the efforts of the Asia-Pacific region countries, most of which are developing.

(17) the offer made by the participant from Bahrain to host the Fourth APC-MCSTA in Bahrain in 1997 be noted and accepted in principle, subject to formal confirmation from the Government of Bahrain.

The above recommendations were adopted by consensus at the final Plenary Session of the Conference held on May 31, 1996 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.