RUMLAE Directors Address UN Expert Meeting on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space.

RUMLAE Directors Professors Dale Stephens and Melissa de Zwart were recently invited to address (via video link) the Group of Government Experts participating in a session of the Proposed Prevention of an Arms Race in Space (PAROS) Treaty working group in Geneva.  The PAROS initiative is one that is being undertaken under the auspices of the UN Conference on Disarmament.  Professors Dale Stephens and Melissa De Zwart presented generally on the work of the Woomera Manual (https://law.adelaide.edu.au/woomera/the-woomera-manual) and the normative effect of such operational law manuals as well as covering more specific issues relating to  legal obligations that exist under the Outer Space Treaty as well as general international law concerning the prohibitions on weapons and their use in outer space. There was an extensive question and answer session following the presentation where delegates focussed on questions relating to the legal restrictions on the Use of Force under the UN Charter and questions concerning legal methodology in reconciling competing international legal regimes relating to weapons in outer space.