"Meet ECSL Members" Series: Nataliia Demchuk, Intern at the Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section Intern United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

1. Hi Nataliia! How has your day been?

Busy but exciting! Today is the third day of the 65^th COPUOS session, and I have been helping with its organisation.

2. Can you introduce yourself briefly?

Hello, my name is Nataliia, I am a Ukrainian living in the Netherlands, and I am a huge space law and policy enthusiast. Currently, I am interning with the Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. I am also an ECSL member and alumni of their Summer Course.

3. How did you decide to specialise in different areas of international law?

Driven by curiosity rather than following a clear roadmap, I chose to get into several different areas of international law. It is especially true about space law: I decided to specialise in it not because my academic curriculum required it but because I was genuinely intrigued by this forward-looking discipline.

4. You are an ECSL Summer Course alumni, and also have extensive experience with summer courses and elective programmes. How has this helped further shape your career within space law?

Short intensive courses often allow you to obtain specific knowledge that you would not be able to get otherwise. For example, despite numerous requests, my university did not permit me to take their dedicated space law and policy course due to some outdated internal administrative rules. This, however, has not discouraged me, and I decided to study space law on my own. Thanks to the ECSL and other space law educators, law students like me have a chance to specialise in this unique field without relying on a traditional university curriculum.

5. How has your experience been working at UNOOSA during a hybrid version of the Legal Subcommittee?

Being able to not only experience but also support the work of the UNCOPUOS and its Subcommittees is one of the most enriching and valuable professional moments in my career path.

6. Interning and working at UNOOSA is surely a dream for many aspiring space law and policy students. What advice can you give them pertaining to current and future career prospects of a space law intern?

It is certainly not easy to secure a job or internship in the space law field, but do not despair: the industry is changing rapidly, and so are your career prospects.

7. What have your best experiences with the ECSL been?

Last summer, I took the ECSL Space Law and Policy Course, and it was then that I decided to pursue this route and specialise further in the field. The course was so fascinating that it ended up changing my life.

8. What is one thing you would like to see the ECSL do in the future?

It would be exciting and fun to meet other ECSL members in person during an informal ECSL event. Hopefully, we won't have to wait long.

9. How has your volunteering within the space law community helped you learn more about the sector? Can you recommend this to other students?

I have long been convinced that volunteering provides us with some of the most genuine learning experiences. And volunteering within the space law community is not an exception. For example, through my involvement with the Women in Aerospace Europe initiative, I came to understand the challenges, but also the opportunities, for women aspiring to break into the space sector.

10. What is something you personally hope to achieve through your ECSL membership?

Above all, I hope to connect and exchange ideas with other space law enthusiasts.

11. Who do you want us to interview next?

I would love to read an interview of some of your newest members.