Pakistan on Thursday backed a proposal for the establishment of an international space co-ordination body for disaster management, citing specially the havoc wrought by the recent earthquake in northern parts of the country.
"We have always attached great importance to the space system based disaster management support," Pakistan's delegate Asim Iftikhar Ahmad told the General Assembly's Fourth Committee, which dealt with political affairs.
"Following the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 and the earthquake in Chile earlier this year, we have witnessed the extreme devastation and human suffering caused by the recent earthquake that struck South Asia, in particular my own country," he said in a debate on peaceful uses of outer space.
"An immediate satellite survey of the area of the earthquake may have provided a quicker assessment of the magnitude of devastation, he said.
"This earthquake and other recent major natural disasters underline the need for a greater and more efficient role for space technology in prediction, monitoring and mitigation of natural disasters. While we cannot stop natural disasters from happening, any advancement that contributes to better preparedness and mitigation of their effects is welcome. We appreciate in that context the draft study by the ad hoc expert group for the establishment of an international space co-ordination body for disaster management".
Iftikhar Ahmad said that an important prerequisite in the advancement of space technology was the maximum engagement of developing countries.