The Department of State (DoS) conducted successful negotiations with the Japanese government to resolve issues related to the 1995 U.S.-Japan Agreement Concerning Cross-Waiver of Liability for Space Cooperation that had been impeding successful implementation of the agreement.

During FY 2001, the Department of State led U.S. Government participation in the United Nations’ Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). Over the past year, the committee undertook significant work in areas such as addressing the problem of orbital space debris, global navigation satellite systems, meteorology, astronomy and astrophysics, space transportation, human space flight, planetary exploration, and environmental monitoring. The committee also considered legal issues related to international liability and responsibility of launching nations, international financial security interests in space equipment, and the equitable access to the geostationary orbit.

The Department of State provided funding for a series of four regional Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Workshops and one Plenary Session to be held during 2001–2002. These workshops are being held under the auspices of the United Nations and the United States. The first two workshops were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the Asia Pacific regions, and in Vienna, Austria, for the Eastern European region. Both workshops were highly successful in bringing together regional experts and decisionmakers to advance awareness and support for use of GNSS applications for sustained growth, transportation safety, and environmental management.

In addition to the GNSS workshops, the DoS led GPS international outreach efforts for the interagency GPS Executive Board Secretariat. As a result, the GPS exhibit and support team carried the U.S. message to such venues as the International Civil Aviation Organization General Assembly in Montreal and the Working Party 8D of the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva.

The Department of State also presented a draft framework agreement between the United States and the European Community on Satellite Navigation Systems in October 2000. This led to two negotiation sessions with the European Community based on the draft.