Inaugural Conference: Space Law & Sustainability Center (VU ALTI & ASI)

VU Amsterdam has repeatedly been recognized as the most sustainable university in the Netherlands and, in 2023, made a groundbreaking decision to cut ties with fossil fuel companies that do not comply with the Paris Agreement. It is only natural for our university’s focus on sustainable development to extend beyond Earth’s boundaries.

The Space Law & Sustainability Center is founded by two existing VU institutes, Amsterdam Law & Technology Institute (ALTI) and Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (ASI), with the purpose of providing an interdepartmental platform for dialogue and multidisciplinary collaboration within the VU Amsterdam community, focusing on the expanding scope of human activities in outer space. The Center enhances cross-faculty collaboration by demonstrating how ‘space’ connects multiple expertise because it acts as an enabler for the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Amsterdam Center for Space Law & Sustainability contributes to the activities of the UNSDSN Dutch chapter hosted at VU Amsterdam. Externally, the Center engages in valorization and impact activities within the Dutch ecosystem and at international level. It aims to collaborate with universities, research centers, the private sector, NGOs and public bodies.

Join us on 20 June 2025 in Amsterdam & online for the launch event! 

This launch will be marked by an international conference aimed at defining “space sustainability” as a matter of international security. In the context of rapidly expanding space activities, urgent challenges have emerged—ranging from the accumulation of orbital debris and the militarization of space to the commercialization of space resources without adequate regulatory oversight. Alongside national and international experts, we will examine the provisions of the Pact of the Future, a landmark UN Resolution A/RES/79/1 adopted in September 2024, referring, among others, to the need for new frameworks concerning space debris, space traffic management, and space resources. The conference will also present a set of critical and innovative assessments concerning the adoption of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies in outer space as well as a series of multidisciplinary approaches to space sustainability.

Alongside national and international experts we will discuss the following topics:

• EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES (LEGAL & TECHNICAL) ON SPACE SUSTAINABILITY & SECURITY
• FUTURE FRAMEWORKS IN LINE WITH THE UNITED NATIONS PACT OF THE FUTURE
• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & QUANTUM TECH FOR SPACE SECURITY: LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
• INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO SPACE SUSTAINABILITY
• INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION FOR SUSTAINABLE & SECURE SPACE

Participation is free, but registration is required. Register here.