State Engagement
During the period 1-3 June 2022, the Government of The Netherlands facilitated a process of State Engagement in The Hague at which the Editorial Board presented the draft manuscript for State consideration.
24 countries as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross participated and provided comments on the draft of the Manual.
The consultations took place at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague and were extremely useful in clarifying key points that assisted in the revision of the Manual.
State representatives identified areas of uncertainty in the law applicable to outer space, suggested helpful revisions and volunteered additional examples of State practice to supplement the Manual’s content. They were supportive of the approach taken by the Manual in highlighting State practice to assist in ascertaining existing or emerging legal interpretations.
Following this State consultation, significant changes were made to the draft manuscript of the Manual and these are reflected and sometimes expressly identified in the text.