Tous Actualités
Suivre
Abonner ESOA

ESOA

International Community reaches two Milestones in Enabling Communications Infrastructure for Emergency Response in Natural Disasters and Crises

Brussels (ots)

The European Satellite Operators' Association
(ESOA) and UNOSAT, the United Nations Institute for Training and 
Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme, have 
signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Brussels today. This 
agreement constitutes a framework within which the two organisations 
plan to work together. The objective is to identify the appropriate 
satellite resources to optimise the deployment and use of satellite 
solutions for international development and emergency response. In 
addition they will further raise awareness within the user 
communities of the unique ability of satellite technology in 
humanitarian crises.
This collaboration is a milestone in bringing more efficiency and 
coordination to the cooperation between the international 
humanitarian and development communities and private satellite 
operators.
This comes only a few days after the World Radio Conference 2007 
confirmed last Friday, 16th November in Geneva the uninterrupted, 
interference-free use of satellite C-band spectrum for the future. 
The C-band spectrum plays a crucial role in the humanitarian 
community for emergency communications and is to be standard radio 
frequency for all UN humanitarian communications adopted by UN 
Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Working Group on Emergency 
Telecommunications (WGET).
Christodoulos Protopapas, ESOA's Chairman said: "I thank ESOA 
members for their outstanding collaboration that made this result 
possible. Particularly I thank UNOSAT, UN OCHA and the UN World Food 
Programme, for their interventions to support this 'life-saving' 
cause. In yesterday's news we heard about the number of people who 
will die in the Bangladesh floods because of the inability to 
communicate with and locate them  - this is where satellite 
communications, often using C-Band, play a life-saving role. With its
decision, the WRC just took a huge step in maintaining an important 
global responsibility."
For more information and picture material please contact ESOA 
Secretary General.
Contact:

Contact:

Aarti Holla-Maini
Secretary General
European Satellite Operators' Association
t: +32.2.550.35.75
e: sg@esoa.net
w: www.esoa.net