Expert Focus Group - Space & Global Health
Expert Focus Group on Space & Global Health (Chair: Dr. Pascal Michel Co-Chair: Prof. Dr. Antoine Geissbuhler) builds on the work of Action Team 6 and the iterims period of Action Team 6 Follow Up Initiative (AT6FUI). Expert Focus Group on Space & Global Health (XFG-SGH) was established on the first meeting at 02/2015 at United Nations Committee of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Scope of the Expert Group of Space and Global Health
From a conceptual view, global health places a priority on improving health outcomes and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. Problems that transcend national borders or have a global socio-economic impact are often emphasized. From a space perspective, the expert group on Space and Global Health includes a broad array of activities to be directly relevant to global health, such as: telemedicine, tele-health, space life sciences , space technologies, tele-epidemiology, and disaster management (including response to epidemics). From a health perspective, the expert group recognizes the contribution of the space community to the prevention and control of diseases, to promote health and welfare, to addressing global health security issues, to the advancement of medical research, health practices and the provision of healthcare services to individuals and communities, also through a One Health lens.
It is also understood that various global determinants and social trends (ex: climate change, global migration, population growth and ageing, citizen science and crowdsourcing, big data and digital medicine) are driving the health outcomes and the evolution of various technology development. Although these drivers are significant for their general impact on society, they are not directly scoped in the notion of Global health in the context of the activities of the expert group.
From a conceptual view, global health places a priority on improving health outcomes and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. Problems that transcend national borders or have a global socio-economic impact are often emphasized. From a space perspective, the expert group on Space and Global Health includes a broad array of activities to be directly relevant to global health, such as: telemedicine, tele-health, space life sciences , space technologies, tele-epidemiology, and disaster management (including response to epidemics). From a health perspective, the expert group recognizes the contribution of the space community to the prevention and control of diseases, to promote health and welfare, to addressing global health security issues, to the advancement of medical research, health practices and the provision of healthcare services to individuals and communities, also through a One Health lens.
It is also understood that various global determinants and social trends (ex: climate change, global migration, population growth and ageing, citizen science and crowdsourcing, big data and digital medicine) are driving the health outcomes and the evolution of various technology development. Although these drivers are significant for their general impact on society, they are not directly scoped in the notion of Global health in the context of the activities of the expert group.
Background AT6 & AT6FUI
The Action Team 6 on “Public Health: the use of space technology to improve public health” was established in 2001 by the United Nations Committee of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) as a mechanism for initiating the implementation of recommendations of the third United Nations Space Conference UNISPACE III (1999).
In 2002 Action Team 6 (AT6) proposed initial action plan. The original focus of AT6 was to be International Cardiovascular Disease Knowledge Management Network with the lead country Canada. AT6 was inactive due to available resources. In 2007 a new development and focus was elaborated by the co-chairs Canada & WHO. The new focus was to facilitate early warning mechanisms for infectious diseases using space technologies and earth observation data, building human capacities and collaborative structures on national and regional levels. In 2009 India became the new co-chair with Canada.
The last workshop of the Action Team 6 was held in Montreal organised in cooperation with UN-OOSA and ESA, in Montreal, June 19-22, 2011. The subject ”Space technology for Public Health Actions in the Context of Climate Change Adaptation” addressed the following objectives:
Report AT6FUI 2015/02
In 2002 Action Team 6 (AT6) proposed initial action plan. The original focus of AT6 was to be International Cardiovascular Disease Knowledge Management Network with the lead country Canada. AT6 was inactive due to available resources. In 2007 a new development and focus was elaborated by the co-chairs Canada & WHO. The new focus was to facilitate early warning mechanisms for infectious diseases using space technologies and earth observation data, building human capacities and collaborative structures on national and regional levels. In 2009 India became the new co-chair with Canada.
The last workshop of the Action Team 6 was held in Montreal organised in cooperation with UN-OOSA and ESA, in Montreal, June 19-22, 2011. The subject ”Space technology for Public Health Actions in the Context of Climate Change Adaptation” addressed the following objectives:
- present the latest research, programs, approaches and policies that capitalize on innovative partnerships addressing satellite technology, climate change and public health and
- provide networking and knowledge opportunities in new surveillance and risk assessment methods aimed to better address health conditions arising from a fast changing environment.
- A/AC.105/C.1/L.305 English
- Other official Language are available at the UNOOSA Website
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/oosa/COPUOS/stsc/ac105c1.html
Report AT6FUI 2015/02
