A major UNIDROIT project has been the negotiation of the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and the conventions various protocols. Concluded in March 2012 in Berlin, the Protocol on Space Assets is a major step in the development of space law. It is meant to fill a legal lacunae by providing a framework to secure investors in these high-value, high-risk assets. So far, the Protocol on Space Assets is only approaching the required number of ratifications for entry into force, but there is optimism that States will adopt the protocol and that it will become an industry standard. This year's IISL-ECSL symposium seeks to provide commentary and analysis on the protocol and its effects on the various stakeholders involved in commercial satellite ventures. It is intended also to provide indications of the future involvement of UNCOPUOS in this field.
The International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) held the Space Law Symposium 2013 on the subject of "The UNIDROIT Space Protocol" on Monday 8 April 2013. The event took place at the Vienna International Centre on the occasion of the 52nd Session of the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
