On 11 February 2025, the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) presented a formal statement to the United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space giving the highlights of the 11th PSIPW Awards Ceremony which took place on 8 November 2024 at the United Nations Office at Vienna.
Speaking at the COPUOS sixty-second session of the scientific and technical subcommittee, PSIPW’s General Secretary Dr. Abdulmalek A. Al Alshaikh showcased how the awards ceremony honoured the six winning teams, and how it was in turn honoured by the virtual participation of UN Secretary General Mr. António Guterres and the physical participation of the Director of the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Ms. Aarti Holla-Mainy.
PSIPW has been an observing member of COPUOS since 2008. PSIPW is active in applying space technology to water harvesting efforts by supporting science research its dedicated chair at King Saud University, as well as through its practical water harvesting programmes throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In addition, PSIPW and UNOOSA held a bilateral meeting to discuss the extension of their Memorandum of Understanding for another four years and what activities will be developed for the future. PSIPW is a partner with UNOOSA in the Space4Water Portal, which enables all stakeholders involved in the space and water communities to access data and knowledge, to be creative and to realize their full potential in contributing to a world in which the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all has become a reality.
UNOOSA and PSIPW also co-organize a series of international conferences addressing the use of space technologies and data in water management, with six such events successfully taking place since 2008. The first conference was hosted in Saudi Arabia, the second in Argentina, the third took place in Morocco in 2014, then in 2018 it was hosted in Pakistan, in 2022 it was hosted in Ghana, and in 2024 it was held in Costa Rica.