The following is adopted from a recent speech to the 68th U.N. General Assembly First Committee Thematic Discussion on Outer Space. We will soon observe the 50th anniversary of the General Assembly's adoption of the "Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space." Resolution 1962 (18), which was adopted by consensus on Dec. 13, 1963, laid out the key principle that outer space is free for exploration and use by all states on a basis of equality and in accordance with international law. Just over three years later, these and other elements of the principles declaration formed the core for the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which remains the foundation of the international legal framework for space activities. In the half-century since the declaration was adopted, all nations and peoples have seen a radical transformation in the way we live our daily lives, in many ways due to our use of space. Over the past three decades, the space environment, especially key Earth orbits, has become increasingly utilized as more and more states are becoming spacefaring and space-benefiting nations. As a consequence, the outer space environment is becoming increasingly congested, contested and competitive - with threats to vital space services potentially increasing during the next decade as disruptive and destructive counterspace capabilities are developed.
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