ABU DHABI, 9th November, 2026 (WAM) -- The UAE has reinforced its position as an active partner in international efforts to use space technology for humanitarian purposes through its six-month leadership of the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters, becoming the first Arab country, and the first in the Middle East and Africa, to lead the Charter, the partnership through which space agencies provide satellite data at no cost to emergency teams when major disasters strike.
The term, shared with the European Space Agency (ESA), which provided technical support particularly for training and capacity building, ended with a handover by the UAE Space Agency to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) at the Charter’s 56th Board meeting in Tokyo last October, following the conclusion of the UAE’s leadership term from 20th April to 19th October, 2026.
Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, said, “For more than 25 years, the Charter has shown what nations can achieve when they share their space capabilities for a common humanitarian purpose. As the first Arab country, and the first in the Middle East and Africa to lead it, the UAE was proud to serve that purpose and bring its national capabilities to the collective effort.”
He added, “This role reflects the UAE’s commitment, set out in the National Space Strategy 2031, to be a trusted partner that contributes to shared challenges and helps shape international cooperation. We wish JAXA every success as it takes the Charter forward.”
Eng. Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, Director-General of the UAE Space Agency, said, “What makes the Charter work is that no single country has to carry a disaster response alone. Satellite operators, analysts, disaster authorities, and UN partners each play a part, often from different continents.”
He added, “The UAE’s role was to keep those pieces working together. We learned a great deal from our partners and brought UAE institutions into the Charter’s work, where they will support future activations. I thank our national partners, ESA, and every Charter member for making this possible.”
Between 20th April and 19th October, 2026, the Charter was activated 28 times in response to floods, earthquakes, wildfires, landslides, storms, and volcanic activity in 18 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania.
Across those activations, members provided more than 8,000 satellite data products, including archive imagery for before-and-after comparison, and value-adding organisations uploaded 457 analysis outputs for responders.
UAE institutions contributed to 12 activations. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Space42, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), and TACTICA supported response through satellite imagery, geospatial analysis, mapping, and damage assessments.
Domestically, the UAE Space Agency coordinated the national effort with the UAE Aid Agency and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA). Internationally, it worked with space agencies, UN organisations, and disaster management authorities to widen access to satellite data and strengthen disaster response.
The UAE will remain an active contributor to the Charter and is expanding the satellite data it can offer. MBRSC is working to make high-resolution optical imagery from MBZ-SAT available to the Charter, and Space42 is integrating its Foresight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation, which can capture images through clouds and at night. Together, they will give future disaster responses access to both optical and radar data from the UAE.
Alongside the Charter activations, the UAE Space Agency invested in the project managers who coordinate responses and the value-adding organisations that turn satellite imagery into maps and analyses responders can act on.
In April, it hosted training in Abu Dhabi with ESA, MBRSC and Space42, after which four UAE institutions registered as value-adding organisations: UAE University, TII, Space42, and the University of Sharjah.
In August, the Agency, with the support of the UAE Aid Agency, took that training to West Africa. A four-day regional programme in Accra, Ghana, brought together 30 participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin, and The Gambia.
The programme focused on the Charter’s activation procedures, satellite imagery analysis, and disaster response mapping. The European Space Agency (ESA) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) provided technical support, and the programme was delivered in coordination with Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Working with the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), the Agency supported Morocco’s Royal Centre for Remote Sensing (CRTS) through specialised training and a simulation exercise. Morocco secured Authorised User status in August and can now activate the Charter directly during major disasters.
With the UK Space Agency, the Agency also supported an application for the same status from Sierra Leone’s National Disaster Management Agency, whose specialists trained in Accra. The application is now under formal review by the Charter.
The International Charter received the International Astronautical Federation’s (IAF) 2026 World Space Award, which recognised its contribution to international cooperation and to the use of space technology for humanitarian purposes.
Dr. Al Falasi accepted the award on behalf of the Charter community at the opening ceremony of the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Türkiye, in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.