BACKGROUND GUIDE
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful
Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS)
Prevention and Response Methods Against
Extraterrestrial Invasions
Hello delegates!
It is our pleasure to welcome you all to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses
of Outer Space at Raimondi Model United Nations 2018! Our names are Sebastian Morello
and Carlos Marchese and we will be in charge of making the best out of this committee.
My name is Sebastian Morello. I am 19 years old and I am currently in my second year as a
law student at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Perú. I am very interested in world politics
and international law, especially focused on the regulation of violent non-state actors,
refugees, human rights in times of internal conflicts, and conflict resolution (International
Humanitarian Law). My MUN career started during my senior year of high school, when I
participated in both national and international conferences, and since then, I have continued
with this passion. In my first year of university I decided to continue doing MUN by joining
Peruvian Debate Society and debating in both HNMUN LA 2017 and 2018, and more
recently in HNMUN 2018. In my experience, MUN is one of the very few activities that
enables students to reach their full potential in many aspects of their academic life.
My name is Carlos Marchese and I am in my third year at Universidad del Pacífico studying
Business Engineering and focusing on process and project engineering. I am also currently
working in a consulting office that focuses on projects ranging from cost reduction to overall
business strategy. Other than that, I really like PC gaming, I love going out unless it is
impossible, and I try to go surfing at least thrice a week. I am interested in the interaction
between each country’s individual motivations and international cooperation goals, and how
together they create what we know as international diplomacy. My MUN career started a
couple of years ago when I joined Peruvian Debate Society. I started in the Security Council
at USILMUN, just having found out that MUN existed. Overall it was a fun experience and I
really enjoyed how bringing updates into the committee could make or break a delegate.
After that, my first international conference was DISEC at WorldMUN 2016. It was a really
intense committee that further introduced me into the topics of violent non-state actors and
disputed territories, creating classifications to deal with these issues on many levels. Then,
the next year came along and I joined the HNMUN team of my delegation, preparing to
participate in UNCOPUOS (UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space) to debate
the topic of asteroid related disasters representing the United States.
We are very excited to meet you all! If you have any doubt please feel free to contact us!
Sebastián Morello & Carlos Marchese Co-directors, United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
I . HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE Throughout the years, space has not only remained a mystery for humankind, but a constant
rivalry that dates back to the midst of the Cold war. In 1957, the year when the first satellite
orbited the earth, the United Nations started its commitment towards the peaceful use of
the space. The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space war formerly
established as an ad hoc committee by resolution 1348 shortly after the launch of the first
satellite in 1958. However, it was not until 1959 when the General Assembly decided to
institute it as a permanent body of the U.N with the decisions being taken by 84 member
states. This committee also counts with the participation of a number of non-governmental
organizations, which have observer status.
Two sub-committees make up the UN COPUOS: the Scientific, and the Technical and Legal
sub-committee. Their main objectives include the promotion of international cooperation,
the legal matters in outer space, the sharing of global information on the development of
technology and scientific research, and the construction of a collaborative system by which
every state would be able to acquire proper benefits on the use of the outer space. The
mandate of this committee established in Article 1 of the resolution 1472 “International co-
operation in the peaceful uses of outer space” could be summed up as the recollection of
the previously mentioned objectives: “govern the exploration and use of space for the
benefit of all humanity: for peace, security and development”.
In recent years the evolution of technology has allowed humanity to continue its reach upon
the exploration of space. In April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to orbit
our planet and a few years later the Apollo 11 accomplished the first of six US moon
landings. Nevertheless, this progress has not come without risks or immense costs. Space
has become congested, contested and competitive, thus the need to protect it. If there is
anything our years of research have taught us, it’s that space is full of new dangers that we
are not ready to confront. The solely terrifying idea that we are not alone in the universe was
the start of a recent development in the military industry and the scientific community in
order to defend our nations from a possible extraterrestrial invasion.
I I . HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM
The existence of life in other parts of the universe outside the Earth has been a constant
debate through recent years. The problems that could arise from the possibility for other
forms of life to exist is enough to drive member states towards the development of a proper
policy to prepare nations for a possible extraterrestrial invasion. However, the constant
discovery of more evidence of not only the existence of extraterrestrial life but their
interactions with humans since the start of history has raised awareness on the international
community.
The first signs of evidence on the relationship between governments and the existence of
this other beings date back to 1952 when the governments of the United States of America
admits the existence of a sub-group under the Ministry of Defense called the Advanced
Aerospace Threat Identification Program with a budget of 22 million dollars. Its main goal
was to serve as the main organization in charge of reporting and investigating UFO sighting.
The last director of this organization, Luis Elizondo established that the objects observed
excelled human technological capabilities. In an interview with the New York Times he has
also exposed that “the many accounts from the Navy and other services of unusual aerial
systems interfering with military weapon platforms and displaying beyond-next-generation
capabilities.”
The increasing interest in the matter can also be traced back to the Roswell UFO incident. In
1947, a New Mexico farmer reported seeing an unidentifiable shape in his sheep fields. This
was not the only incident in Roswell. On February 25 of 2018 two passenger jet pilots
reported an object of UFO characteristics near the supposed crash. Similar shapes have
been seen across the globe as in 1980 another incident occurred in Rendlehsam forest in the
United Kingdom.
Other forms of evidence appeared in the recent discoveries of other planets with similar
living conditions as Earth. Wolf 1061c, LHS 1140b, Ross 128b, K2-18b are the most recent
examples of planets with proper living conditions.
The Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Simonetta Di Pippo have
established that although astrobiology is one the main topics of research by the UN
COPUOS, there is not a proper protocol of response in the case of an extraterrestrial
communication or future invasion. Uncertainty is the main problem that has affected the
capacity of nations towards the construction of an international response system against this
possibility.
I I I . CURRENT SITUATION For more than 50 years, humanity has been trying to find the answer to the question about
the existence of other forms of intelligent life in the universe. Although, there has been
constant discoveries and theories that could guide us to an answer, the lack of information
continues to be the main problem the International Community has to face for the
development of a defense system for a possible invasion.
In his book “The Third Chimpanzee” Jared Diamond described the catastrophic problems
that could result from the contact between a more advanced societies and us. As the history
of colonialism has been shown, the encounter between two groups is always problematic for
the weaker one. The same fear about the disadvantage that earth could have in the
interaction with another and more advanced society was stated by Carl Sagan as “shouting
into an unknown jungle that we don’t understand”.
Another point that acquired relevance after the 1938 “alien invasion announcement” in New
Jersey by a radio program is the possible reactions of the general public in the case of an
alien invasion. Although the 1938 broadcast was a prank based on the famous H.G. Wells
novel the “War of the Worlds,” it caused major chaos in the city. The imagination of the
public would serve as the main catalyst of fear in the case of alien invasion.
Image 1: Alien invasion as commonly depicted in pop culture
Source: The Evil Wiki
Numerous sci-fi movies portrayed aliens in horrific ways that would certainly have a major
effect in society. However, recent studies conducted by the University of Arizona have
indicated that the discovery of interstellar micro unicellular organisms is much more likely in
contrast with the typical alien we tend to imagine in these cases. These types of organisms
are more common and would be able to resist multiple types of ecosystems.
Image 2: Unicellular organisms
Source: News Medical
The psychologist Michael Varnum, who works with the previously mentioned academic
institution, conducted a series of experiments in order to determine what would be the
psychological outcome of the public in the case of an “invasion” by these microorganisms.
The experiment consisted in a poll given to 500 U.S. citizens in which they were asked to
describe their feelings to the discovery of the existence of these organisms in Earth. The
response was positive and the psychologist described that the majority of people used
positive expressions instead of negative ones. This experiment showed the immense
importance of the sci-fi genre in creating the typical alien that most people would be afraid
of.
Currently, the situation regarding prevention and response to extraterrestrial invasions is
uncertain. It has been historically an issue given to the largest space agencies in the world,
therefore there is no real planetary defense method or mechanism. A few weeks ago, the
President of the United States (Donald Trump) ordered the creation of a U.S. Space force,
but the implication of this force in planetary defense is unknown.
In addition, the issue is mostly represented as a form of fiction in the sci-fi genre, which has
made it increasingly harder to take it seriously. The problem grows bigger when we consider
that some people who claim to take the issue seriously are really just some form of
conspiracy theorists, this makes it even more difficult to have a serious and productive
discussion on the topic.
IV. MAIN CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM
Prevention and response methods towards extraterrestrial invasions has been superficially
handled by the largest space agencies in the world. Furthermore, it has been the subject of
mockery from members of the scientific community in the 20th century, and a great source of
inspiration for science fiction movies since the birth of the genre.
Today, in 2018, we are forced to face the fact that intelligent life somewhere else in the
universe is likely to exist, and that we know absolutely nothing about it. They could be years
ahead of us in every technological aspect imaginable, or they could just as easily be stuck in
an era equivalent to our stone age. The only truth we know is our own uncertainty.
Therefore, it is now unacceptable to let the largest space agencies handle this issue isolated
from the world and each other. As an international community, we must begin to plan for
such an event in a way that allows for effective prevention (or preparation) against an alien
invasion. Not only that, but we must be prepared as well to launch a defense initiative that
would completely overpower our would-be enemy, while at the same time respecting
current (or newly developed) international agreements.
Image 3: Global UFO sightings recorded from 1990 to 2018
Source: National UFO Reporting Center
But aggression is not the only thing we must be prepared for, developing internationally
accepted methods of communication that allow us to assess an alien threat is a crucial
necessity and one of the many things we hope to discuss in this committee.
V. MAIN ASPECTS OF THE PROBLEM
A. DETECTION OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL PRESENCE AND INTEL SHARING One of the larger issues faced by the intelligence community for many years has been Intel
sharing. The possibility of sharing intelligence to achieve common goals has obvious
benefits for each side, but it comes with a fair share of dangers. Members of the intelligence
community worry that intel sharing might pave the way for easier hacking of their systems,
and therefore access to information that was not intended for sharing with other agencies.
Other worries include the possibility of double agents becoming more common given the
easy access of information from both sides. It is imperative that this committee find a way for
space agencies to share Intel related to possible alien presence in order to effectively
prevent what could be an attack on our planet.
B. COMMUNICATION AND THREAT ASSESSMENT Another aspect to consider is the possibility of a friendly extraterrestrial visit. As a
committee, we must develop a method to determine whether the presence of
extraterrestrial beings near or inside earth’s atmosphere represents a threat. The importance
of this lies in the actions that are to be taken after the threat is assessed. If we attack a
peaceful envoy, we might begin the conflict that we were trying to prevent in the first place,
whereas if we do not immediately respond to a hostile invasion it might be too late to fight
at all.
C. PERMISSIONS OVER THE INVADED COUNTRY’S SOVEREIGN SPACE Another big issue to solve is how to allow soldiers from other nations into an invaded
country’s territory. Granting instant permission to all military actors to enter and defend an
invaded country might seem like a great option to fight the invasion, but it also opens up
the country to the entry of foreign militaries that aren’t necessarily friendly or might stop
being friendly after the conflict is over. Therefore, it is important to evaluate how permission
is granted to foreign armies to enter invaded countries with the objective of aiding in the
defense against said invaders. It is also important to evaluate if penalties should be given to
countries that take advantage of those treaties for other purposes.
D. DEFINITION OF AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL INVASION Currently, although there is widespread understanding of what an extraterrestrial invasion is,
there is no internationally accepted legal definition for it. It is important to create such a
definition, given that an invasion will inevitably change the military circumstances of its
location. Ill-willing parties may enter other countries under special circumstances by using a
poorly-made definition of an extraterrestrial invasion. In addition, in case of a change in the
allowed weaponry, defining exactly in which scenario some type of weaponry could be used
is essential for the success of this committee.
E. MILITARIZATION OF THE SPACE
During the last decade, there has been an increasingly strong debate on the militarization of
the outer space. In the case of an extraterrestrial invasion, the presence of this new menace
would therefore create the necessity of the international community to reevaluate the
possibility of utilizing weapons in order to protect Earth’s outer space. On this matter, it is
important to consider that one of the main principles that have guided the exploration and
use of celestial bodies is peace and cooperation between Member States. International law
prohibits a country from using outer space for military purposes, as there has never been an
actual attempt by the International Community to prepare guidelines in the case of an
extraterrestrial invasion.
F. WEAPONRY ALLOWED IN CONFLICT (USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS) The use of nuclear weapons in any scenario has proved controversial in recent years. There
has been a large effort to erase nuclear weapons from our world. It is important for this
committee to define if the use of nuclear weapons against an extraterrestrial invasion would
be allowed, and if so, under which circumstances.
VI. CONSEQUENCES AND IMPACT OF THE PROBLEM The problem to be discussed currently has no consequences, given that we have not (to our
knowledge) faced any extraterrestrial invasion threats before. In any case, the consequences
would arrive with said invasion if we fail to elaborate methods of prevention and response
towards it. That being said, we will try to elaborate on possible consequences of not
responding in any way to an invasion.
The worst-case scenario is obviously extinction, an extraterrestrial invasion looking to
colonize or migrate to our planet would quite likely result in our extermination. For examples
of this, we can look into our own history. The colonization of Africa and America by
European powers hundreds of years ago resulted in the extermination or enslavement of
most natives. Therefore, it is reasonable of us to assume that an extraterrestrial invasion with
goals similar to those early colonizers would behave in a similar way.
Image 4: Cristobal Colon discovering America
Source: History Channel
VII. RELEVANT PAST ACTIONS The United Nations has had an active role in the development of different guidelines and
international treaties in order to establish the main rules of conduct for member states in
outer space. As it has been established in previous paragraphs, the constant evolution of
technology has allowed nations to explore and even acquire economic benefits from space;
however, there is still no defense mechanism or guideline in the case of a menace that
comes from space. Essentially, the United Nations has to make sure that the outer space
remains demilitarized and without the hegemony of the any member state.
Most of these guidelines have been established in the Treaty on Principles Governing the
Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and
Other Celestial Bodies. The main aspects of this treaty are to establish principles on the
exploration of the outer space. Its Article 1 established equality and nondiscrimination as the
center of the use of the outer space. Another treaty that has acquire importance on the
matter is the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects,
which established the responsibilities that every state that wishes to launch a space mission
or any kind of object to the outer space must assume.
Furthermore, the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other
Celestial Bodies which makes reference to the appliance of international principles in the
Charter of the United Nations and the Principles of International Law in the use and
exploration of the moon and similar objects. This treaty highlights the importance of friendly
relations and cooperation between states. This Treaty also focuses on declaring the
importance of maintaining the space demilitarized.
The Declaration on International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for
the Benefit and in the Interest of All States adopted by the General Assembly makes
particular focus on the correct distribution of the benefits acquired for the nations that need
the most. This declaration takes into consideration the difference in the capacities of each
individual nation in the acquisition of proper benefits on the use of outer space and in the
same line prevents this from being a problem for the development of space regulations.
Other relevant actions can be seen upon the creation of the International Astronautical
Federation, the only non-governmental organization which focuses on issues regarding the
use and exploration of the outer space. It has 340 members consisting of international space
agencies, telecommunications companies and different scientific institutions.
Most of the actions that have been made through the years have had the objective of
regulating the actions of member states across the outer space. However there is still a lack
of proper international cooperation protocols or set of rules that could guide humanity in
the case of an alien invasion of any kind. Most countries will only be able to rely on their
current military capacities in the case of an invasion causing for developing and conflicted
nations would be suffering the highest amounts of damage.
VIII. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Regarding the sharing of information, the possibility of creating sub-agencies specialized in
planetary defense within larger agencies is always open. Since these sub-agencies would
only have access to the information regarding their area, it might ease some of the typical
worries when it comes to information sharing.
When it comes to threat assessment, many positions are possible. There is the warmonger
solution, which would be to take any extraterrestrial presence as an invasion threat and
engage as fast as possible. We could also assess the threat within a 24-hour period, thereby
limiting the time to be used for that purpose. How to assess the threat could, and most likely
will depend on the actions taken by the potential invaders.
Regarding permissions to enter foreign territory, a process to allow it might be the preferred
option for most countries, but the delay generated by such a process is an important factor
to consider. On the other hand, instant permission in the case of a confirmed invasion could
be risky, as it could be used by countries to enter territory they were not previously allowed
into, and potentially take advantage of that. A middle ground between these two options
could prove beneficial.
Finally, when it comes to the use of nuclear weapons, it is very difficult to say that we as a
species would not do absolutely everything we can to defend our planet. Therefore, it could
be best to evaluate what would be the circumstances and process needed their use to be
allowed.
IX. QUESTIONS A RESOLUTION MUST ANSWER (QARMAs)
1. How would the intelligence community handle the sharing of information for optimal
detection and prevention of an extraterrestrial invasion?
2. How would we communicate with possible invaders, and if that is not possible, how
would we assess the possibility of a threat?
3. Under which circumstances would a military power be allowed to enter sovereign
territory?
4. In the case of invasion, would there be an instant permission if an invasion is
confirmed or would there be a process to follow?
5. How would we define an extraterrestrial invasion? Would it be an all-or-nothing
system? Or would there be different degrees to an invasion allowing for different
actions?
6. Would the use of nuclear weapons be allowed? If so, which circumstances would
justify the use of such force?
X. CONFERENCE PREPARATION
A. RESEARCH
The success of your experience in RAIMUN will depend heavily on how much preparation
you put in before the conference actually begins. Although research may not seem like the
most fun or exciting activity leading up to a conference, if you put in the necessary effort, it
will definitely pay off during the conference. You will be more knowledgeable, more
prepared, and more confident to deal with whatever comes your way. As you do your
research, you may want to keep a page of notes on key facts, figures, policies and other
important information. Bring a copy of your notes to the conference in order to use them as
a reference (bear in mind that electronic devices are not allowed during committee
sessions).
B. POSITION PAPERS
A Position Paper is a policy statement in which delegates analyze and present their country’s
view on the issue being discussed, also focusing on past national and international actions in
order to propose innovative but viable solutions. Your position paper should always include
a heading with the title (“Position Paper”), your delegation (the country you are
representing), your committee (full name), the topic you are discussing (as stated in your
study guide), your full name and the name of your school. Additionally, a standard position
paper is comprised of three paragraphs:
• Your first paragraph should include a brief introduction to the topic, always
connecting the issue to your country. Try to include statistics, data and catchy
phrases that may apply. Always bear in mind that you should be focusing on
answering the question “Why is the issue relevant to my country?” and explain your
country’s situation and policy in relation to the issue.
• Your second paragraph should include a brief summary of past UN action related to
the issue being discussed, always expressing the opinion of your country in relation
to the measures that you are mentioning. Try to focus on which specific actions have
had an impact on your country, and explain how you believe that these measures can
be improved.
• Your third paragraph should focus on proposing solutions, always according to your
country’s policy. Try to be creative and propose original ideas that will help other
delegates (and your dais) to remember your contribution to the debate. Finally, do
not forget to write a strong closing sentence.
Each delegation is responsible for submitting a Position Paper to
[email protected] by August 31st. The general format of Position Papers is
one page long, single-spaced, with size 11 Times New Roman font. Please make sure to cite
every source that you use in your Position Paper.
C. RULES OF PROCEDURE The Rules of Procedure will guide a delegate’s participation throughout the debate. They
contain the rules governing the debate, speeches, points and documents, as well as the
rules governing the vote. The Rules of Procedure may be found on our webpage:
www.mun.raimondi.edu.pe. Nevertheless, delegates shall bear in mind that the Secretariat
and the Committee Directors may provide variations to these rules.
D. WRITING RESOLUTIONS The purpose of the debate, as stated in our philosophy, is to encourage you to develop
comprehensive and pragmatic solutions to the topic being discussed. These solutions
should be embodied in a document called a resolution. The process of drafting a resolution
consists of two main written stages: the Working Paper and the Draft Resolution. Working
Papers are a point of reference for discussion in committee that contain concrete ideas on
the topic under discussion. They do not require a specific format. In contrast, Draft
Resolutions are a formal document in which the committee determines the actions to be
taken in order to solve the problems under discussion. They have a specific format and must
include a certain number of signatories (this will be defined by the dais at the start of the
debate).
XI. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sullivan, W. (1993). We are not alone: the continuing search for extraterrestial
intelligence. New York: Dutton, c1993 Rev. ed.
Kopel, V. (1986). International Law Implications of the Detection of Extraterrestial Intelligent
Signals. Proc. on L. Outer Space, 29, 118.
Birnes, W. J. (2011). The Everything UFO Book: An investigation of sightings, cover-ups, and
the quest for extraterrestial life. Simon and Schuster.
Ksanfomality, L. V. (1991). A possible way for evolution of the intellect of intelligent beings.
In Bioastronomy The Search for Extraterrestial Life—The Exploration Broadens (pp. 364-364).
Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Shakouri Hassanabadi, B. (2018). Space Force and International Space Law.
White, D. R., & Wang, A. Y. (1999). Through the Dark Mirror: UFOs as a Postmodern
Myth?. CTheory, 1-6.
Gabrynowicz, J. I. (2004). Space law: Its Cold War origins and challenges in the era of
globalization. Suffolk UL Rev., 37, 1041.
Howell.,E. (2018, April 30) How Would Humanity React If We Really Found Aliens?. Retrieved
from: https://www.space.com/40435-finding-aliens-humanity-reaction.html
Lewin.S (2017, December 27) The Most Intriguing Alien Planet Discoveries of 2017. Retrieved
from: https://www.space.com/39185-most-intriguing-alien-planets-2017.html
Shostak, S (2018, July 24) Could We Be Alone in the Cosmos?. Retrieved from:
https://www.seti.org/could-we-be-alone-cosmos
XII. DISCLAIMER
This background guide has been created by its authors for Promotora Internacional de
Debate (PRIDE Perú) and meant to be used exclusively for Raimondi Model United Nations
(RAIMUN) 2018. The authors of this background guide claim no copyright or any kind of
intellectual property or legal right for the content of this document. However, this document
may not be distributed or reproduced without the express written consent of its authors,
unless used exclusively for educational purposes.