MONTREAL – Stressing that this is a very important moment for our planet and for the air transport sector, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu emphasized this week to the participants of the week-long Ibero-American Symposium on Environment, Civil Aviation and Climate Change, that “it is a time for bold commitments and determined efforts supporting our shared goal of eliminating the threats now posed by accelerating global warming.”
The important regional environment event attracted high-level officials and expert participants from North and Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Africa to Guatemala City, Guatemala, where Dr. Liu highlighted ICAO’s ongoing work on a variety of programmes and priorities aimed at mitigating the carbon and other emissions impacts from international flight operations.
The majority of her remarks focused on the historic adoption by world governments last October during the 39th ICAO Assembly of the ICAO Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or ‘CORSIA’, and updated them on the comprehensive work now being undertaken through ICAO to address CORSIA’s coming global roll-out – a world first for any major global industry sector.
“ICAO and its Member States, with close cooperation from our industry colleagues and other stakeholders, will continue to lead the sector-wide efforts to address the environmental impacts of international aviation, including the CORSIA’s successful implementation,” Secretary General Liu confirmed. “To date, 71 States representing 87.7 per cent of international air traffic have already announced their voluntary participation in CORSIA as of its pilot phase in 2021,” she added, recognizing the admirable and proactive local CORSIA commitments on behalf of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.
While in Guatemala, Secretary General Liu met with its Vice-President, Mr. Jafeth Cabrera Franco, Guatemala’s Minister of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing, Mr. Aldo Estuardo Garcia Morales, its Director General of Civil Aviation, Mr. Carlos Fernando Velasquez Monge, and other key senior government officials. Throughout she was accompanied by Mr. Melvin Cintron, the Regional Director of the ICAO North American, Central American and Caribbean Regional Office, and the Symposium benefited from the inputs and calls to action by Ms. Jane Hupe, Deputy Director for Environment, Air Transport Bureau.
In her discussions with Vice-President Franco, Secretary General Liu addressed the importance of fostering due political will to support the advancement and modernization of the country’s air transport system, as well as the related importance of that political will to the realization of the sustainable socio-economic benefits for which international aviation connectivity is so vital.
The ICAO Secretary General also stressed the importance of aligned local, regional and global aviation security targets under ICAO’s forthcoming Global Aviation Security Plan, while encouraging the government to consider ICAO’s Traveller Identification Programme (TRIP) priorities to best ensure its complimentary traveller facilitation and security objectives.
With respect to safety, Guatemala is presently scheduled to receive an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission in January 2018, and Dr. Liu signalled her expectation that it would confirm how Guatemala’s renewed commitment and actions are helping to establish it as a compliance leader in the region.
Vice-President Franco thanked the Secretary General for her visit and dedication to the region, and reaffirmed the President’s and his own commitment to ensure that these issues will have the continuous support of the government given its priority on attaining greater aviation-derived socio-economic benefits in Guatemala. Minister Morales and the other senior officials on hand also assured Secretary General Liu of their full support on these matters.
At a later meeting with the President of the Congress of Guatemala, Mr. Oscar Chinchilla, Secretary General Liu emphasized the importance of ensuring that Guatemala has a revised and updated legal framework, and expressed appreciation to the government for their proactive actions toward a revised law that will help the country ensure an autonomous aviation authority.
Nigeria and ICAO affirm commitment to sustainable development of country’s air transport sector
At a recent bilateral meeting, the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H. E. Yemi Osinbajo, and the President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, concurred on the need to heighten preparation and investment in order to sustainably manage anticipated traffic growth and fully capitalize on the significant progress the country has already achieved in developing its air transport sector.
At a recent bilateral meeting, the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H. E. Yemi Osinbajo, and the President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, concurred on the need to heighten preparation and investment in order to sustainably manage anticipated traffic growth and fully capitalize on the significant progress the country has already achieved in developing its air transport sector.
The meeting took place concurrently with the ICAO African and Indian Ocean Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (AFI RPAS) Symposium, for which Dr. Aliu delivered the opening address.
Accompanied by the Representatives of Cabo Verde, Nigeria and South Africa on the ICAO Council, Mr. Carlos Monteiro, Capt. Musa Shaibou Nuhu, and Mr. Tshepo Peegee, respectively, Dr. Aliu also conducted bilateral meetings with H. E. Yemi Osinbajo, the Honourable Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), Mr. Muhammad Musa Bello. These meetings were also attended by ICAO’s Regional Director for Western and Central Africa, Mr. Mam Sait Jallow, Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Mr. Barry Kashambo, and Deputy Director, Air Navigation Bureau, Mr. Catalin Radu.
In his meeting with Nigeria’s Acting Head of State, Dr. Aliu thanked the Federal Government of Nigeria for hosting the AFI RPAS Symposium and for accepting to host the third edition of the ICAO World Aviation Forum (IWAF/3), which will take place in Abuja in November 2017. He stressed that these initiatives were a testimony to Nigeria’s cooperation and support for the development of aviation at the national, regional and international levels.
The two leaders concurred on aviation’s role as an enabler and catalyst for economic growth, with President Osinbajo highlighting the prioritization of the sector within the country’s national developmental strategy. Focussing on human resources capacity building and aviation infrastructure development, Dr. Aliu stressed the need for preparation in order to ensure the sustainable management of air traffic growth and fully benefit from the opportunities it offers. He also underscored the important gains made by ICAO, in collaboration with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), under the recently established Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) for Africa, in addition to the opportunities provided by IWAF/3.
H. E. Osinbajo affirmed the importance of ICAO’s contributions to Nigeria and the country’s ambitions to develop as a regional air transport hub. In this regard, he highlighted ongoing efforts to encourage private sector participation to facilitate the mobilization of the required capital investment, including through the concession of airport operations and services. Noting the key contributions of unmanned aircraft systems, he also expressed Nigeria’s commitment to fully implement the outcomes of the RPAS Symposium.
Recognizing progress on a number of strategic projects, such as the upgrading of the Nigerian College of Aviation Training (NCAT) into an ICAO Regional Training Centre of Excellence (RTCE), the establishment of an Aerospace University, and the certification of Nigeria’s aerodromes and Aviation Security Training Centre (ASTC), Dr. Aliu reiterated that the sustainable development of aviation in Nigeria calls for the strengthening of the autonomy of its Civil Aviation Authority and reinvestment of aviation revenues into the sector, and stressed ICAO’s commitment to supporting Nigeria as it addresses these issues, through its No Country Left Behind initiative and the ICAO Western and Central Africa Regional Office.
The Council President also met with heads of Nigeria’s aviation parastatals – the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and Nigerian Meteorological Agency as well as the Nigerian College of Aviation Training – and visited the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport of Abuja, where significant progress on infrastructure is being achieved. These meetings provided opportunities to exchange views on challenges and opportunities in the aviation sector, and the need to improve effective implementation of aviation safety and security oversight, capacity and quality of services.
The bilateral initiatives were complemented by Dr. Aliu’s meeting with the Vice President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Honourable Edward Singhateh, and the Executive Director and Staff of the Banjul Accord Regional Aviation Safety Oversight Organization (BAGASOO). These discussions focused on the need for greater collaboration and mutual cooperation between ICAO and the respective organizations for the advancement of aviation safety, security, capacity building, infrastructure development and air transport liberalization.
Dr. Aliu’s mission to Nigeria took place from 15 to 21 July 2017.
