Pascale Ehrenfreund is the first woman to hold the position of President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) since the organisation was founded in 1951. She took over from Jean-Yves Le Gall at the 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in 2019 and introduced a new initiative - the Global Advocacy Agenda 2019-2022 - in which the IAF will focus on three key themes: facilitating global space governance, promoting the global space economy and advancing global space interests. With a growing number of participants, including emerging space nations, and increasing commercialisation, the IAF continues to support the use of space in the interests of all nations through its diverse events and activities around the world. Here, Prof Ehrenfreund talks to ROOM about her vision for a global space future.
As the new President of the International Astronautical Federation you have set up an IAF Global Advocacy Agenda. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
Five decades after the Moon landings, we are facing particularly important decisions about the paths we should take over the coming decades. It is also important that we make even greater use of the possibilities afforded by spaceflight to jointly address the global challenges we are facing, and my term of office allows me the opportunity to help shape the future of global space activities.
