Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space and Developing Countries

The existing international legal framework for outer space is inadequate for the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS). There has not been any other legally-binding treaty on outer space since the signing of the Moon Agreement (MA) in 1979. The development of adequate international law for PAROS is in urgent need. Some spacefaring countries are promoting a treaty on PAROS. For instance, China and Russia have proposed a draft treaty on the Prevention of Placement of Weapons in Outer Space and the Threat or Use of Force against Outer Space Objects (PPWT), which has encountered criticisms from some other space powers. This paper briefly reviews the influence, rights, and concerns of developing countries on PAROS. Developing countries have participated and made their concerns known in various inter-governmental fora, such as the General Assembly (GA) and the Conference on Disarmament (CD). It discusses the role of developing countries in the making of treaties and resolutions on outer space. It concludes by summing up the efforts of developing countries for disarmament and explores the challenges that the international community is facing to conclude an international agreement on PAROS. The paper also makes several suggestions for promoting the peaceful exploration and use of outer space.