“I am confident that the International Day of Human Space Flight will remind us of our common humanity and our need to work together to conquer shared challenges. I hope it will also inspire young people in particular to pursue their dreams and move the world towards new frontiers of knowledge and understanding.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the International Day of Human Space Flight
At 12:30 P.M. on 16 June, 1963, Valentina Tereshkova, a citizen of the Soviet Union, became the first woman cosmonaut to have flown in space. This occurred only about two years after Yuri Gagarin, also of the Soviet Union , made the first human space flight on 12 April 1961 , and opened the way for space ex ploration for the benefit of all citizens of the world. Over the years, space science and technology have helped us confront many ordinary problems, producing solutions that are transforming our approach to climate chang e, food security, global health and humanitarian assistance.
The General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/65/271 of 7 April 2011, declared 12 April as the International Day of Human Space Flight “to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.”
For this reason, NGO Relations invites you to observe International Day of Human Space Flight and the 50th Anniversary of Women in Space.