Introduction/Background
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through its UNSPIDER Programme (United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response) together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and with the support from the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction – Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning (ISDR/PPEW) and the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), are organising the above mentioned workshop to promote the access and use of space-based technologies and solutions for disaster management and emergency response within relevant communities.

In its resolution 61/110 of 14th December 2006 the United Nations General Assembly established the “United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response – UNSPIDER”, as a programme of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, to provide universal access to all countries and all relevant international and regional organizations to all types of space-based information and services relevant to disaster management. UN-SPIDER supports the full disaster management cycle by being a gateway to space information for disaster management support, serving as a bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities, and being a facilitator of capacity development and institutional strengthening, in particular for developing countries.

As part of the UN-SPIDER outreach activities, several workshops are being organized in 2008 to raise awareness within the user community of the benefits of using space-based information and solutions, to assess its needs and to contribute to specific activities of the programme. Specifically, this second international workshop in Bonn will provide an opportunity to bring together decision-makers and experts from both the space technology and disaster management communities, international scientific organizations, knowledge transfer and educational institutions, as well as internationally active private companies, with the intention of sharing their best practices and to bring their knowledge, products and technologies for risk and disaster management, humanitarian aid and emergency response.

The first workshop held in Bonn, which was organized jointly with DLR and with the support of the Government of Germany, brought together 90 participants from 39 countries. The following organizations were also involved in organizing the workshop: the Institute for Environment and Human Security of the United Nations University, UNESCO, the Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the Group on Earth Observations and the German Committee for Disaster Reduction.

The programme of the first workshop was centred on the activities assigned to the UN-SPIDER Bonn office. It included plenary sessions, during which 11 presentations were given, and discussion sessions, in which participants were divided into four working groups. Group 1 discussed the platform for fostering alliances and user requirements, in co-ordination with task DI-06-09 of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), Group 2 also discussed the platform for fostering alliances but focused on horizontal co-ordination, Group 3 discussed the knowledge portal and Group 4 discussed knowledge management and capacity building (activity 11, in co-ordination with GEOSS task CB-07-02). More information on the outcome of the workshop and the presentations made during the workshop are available at the website.

The working language will be English.

If you wish to receive further information please contact Mr. Jörg Szarzynski

Back-to-Back Meeting
The following meeting is being organised back-to-back with the second international Bonn workshop: 5th UN-wide Meeting on the Use of Space Technologies for Emergency Response and Humanitarian Assistance in Bonn, 16th to 17th October 2008. For further information on this meeting please contact Mr. Tony Lyu – E-Mail: young.lyu@unoosa.org.