The Conference consists of two segments. The Senior Officials Meeting, from 15 to 17 November, will review the progress of implementation of the recommendations adopted during the first Ministerial Conference on Space Applications held in 1994 in Beijing, and discuss the issues, vision, challenges and opportunities of space technology applications in the region.

His Excellency Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister, Government of India will preside over the inaugural session of the Ministerial Conference on 18 November. Fourteen Ministers from the Asia-Pacific region are also scheduled to attend. The Ministerial Conference is an immediate follow-up to the Third United Nations Conference on Peaceful Uses and Exploration of Outer Space or UNISPACE-III which was held in Vienna, Austria from 19 to 30 July 1999. The Ministerial Conference, taking into account the recommendations of UNISPACE-III, will elaborate the policies and perspectives on space technology development and applications, and the status of preparedness of the region to meet challenges and opportunities in the twenty-first century. The Ministerial Declaration on space technology applications for improved quality of life in the new millennium is also expected to be adopted by the Ministerial Conference, which will launch the implementation of a new phase of Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development.

A parallel event to the Senior Officials Meeting is a science symposium, entitled "Space Technology for improving the quality of life in developing countries - A perspective for the new millennium", from 15 to 17 November. The symposium will gather scientists, researchers and space technology application practitioners from countries in the region and other parts of the world. Participants will discuss constraints and problems faced by the region in adopting and using high technology. The theme of the symposium was chosen to highlight the role of space technology in poverty alleviation, education and improving quality of life.

As another major component activity of the Ministerial Conference, a technical exhibition entitled "Space 99" will also be held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Leading space technology companies and space component industries, government space agencies, manufacturers of launch vehicles and satellites as well as commercial space applications service providers will mount exhibits.

India has achieved rapid development of space technology and applications in the last years. There is a well-established infrastructure for space technology development as well as an array of successful space applications to vital areas like telecommunications, television broadcast, distance education, meteorology, disaster warning and resources survey and management. India takes an active part in promoting international and regional co-operation in the space applications field, including the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Space Science and Technology Education, an affiliate to the United Nations. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plays a key role in the planning and execution of India's national space programme.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the main organization for United Nations activities in the Asian and Pacific region. Located in Bangkok, Thailand, ESCAP has been working with Governments since the Second World War to find solutions to the economic and social demands and challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region today. ESCAP is the largest of the five UN Regional Commissions, comprising 51 members and nine associate member countries, and representing some 60 per cent of the world's population.

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