MONTREAL and GENEVA - Addressing the 2017 Global Sustainable Aviation Summit hosted by the Air Transport Action Group, ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu delivered a strong message on the need for coordinated aviation investment and development, while providing important updates on the progress ICAO is achieving on the new Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
“Air transport’s role in economic development is more important today than ever before,” Dr. Aliu told the assembled aviation and sustainability leaders representing public and private sector organizations, “and the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) help to concentrate government and development planners on the varied means by which access to safe, secure, efficient and affordable air services brings direct benefits to civil society and local and regional commerce.”
ICAO’s key messages reinforced the fact that sustainable aviation is a driver for economic development, trade and tourism, and instrumental in facilitating humanitarian and disaster response to crises and public health emergencies. Special reference was also made to countries in special situations, for example the small island developing States (SIDS) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) for which aviation represents a particularly essential lifeline to the world.
“A well-supported and ICAO compliant air transport sector will bring tremendous benefits to cities and societies wherever aircraft fly,” Dr. Aliu stressed, “but so too will underdevelopment and lack of compliance with ICAO Standards raise risks and barriers to governments’ objectives for successful sustainable development.”
Regarding the ICAO CORSIA, which was adopted at the UN Aviation agency’s 39th Assembly in October of last year, President Aliu noted that States representing almost 90% of international flight operations had already committed to participating in its first voluntary phase in 2021. He highlighted ICAO’s progress on the international standards needed to support it, the importance of the ICAO CO2 Estimation and Reporting Tool (CERT) to help simplify the CORSIA Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) procedures, and commented on the need for reliable credits to be purchased by international aviation, without the possibility of them being used for double counting by other sectors.
In addition to the ICAO President’s keynote address, officials from ICAO’s Aviation Partnerships for Sustainable Development (APSD) initiative were also on hand at the Summit to conduct a workshop aimed at supporting governments’ efforts to achieve the UN SDGs under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the Vienna Programme of Action and the Samoa Pathway.
Other ICAO updates to the ATAG event included the unprecedented progress achieved on the development and deployment of sustainable alternative fuels for aviation, and encouragement to attend ICAO’s upcoming second Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels to be held next week in Mexico City.
ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme achieves ISO 9001:2015 certification
ICAO also announced that its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), a key component of global aviation’s safety assurance and planning backbone, has achieved the latest ISO 9001:2015 certification standard.
ICAO also announced that its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), a key component of global aviation’s safety assurance and planning backbone, has achieved the latest ISO 9001:2015 certification standard.
The scope of the recertification will help to further refine the collection, processing and sharing of safety oversight information gathered under the USOAP, the overall conduct and cost-effectiveness of ICAO’s continuous monitoring activities, and the provision of safety oversight training and seminars in aid of various global aviation safety objectives.
“This new ISO achievement is an excellent example of ICAO’s continuing determination to improve the quality and efficiency of the services it provides to our Member States,” remarked ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu. “By adhering to the ISO’s certified quality management system, ICAO can best ensure that our monitoring and auditing functions support effective aviation safety oversight worldwide, and that the needs and expectations of all stakeholders are being efficiently addressed.”
Launched in 1999, the ICAO USOAP assesses the safety oversight systems of ICAO Member States on the basis of a continuous monitoring approach. Its overall development, implementation and quality assurance aspects are managed by ICAO’s Monitoring and Oversight (MO) sections, including this latest ISO certification achievement.
“The results of the ICAO USOAP are essential to raising the level of effective ICAO compliance in our Member States,” stressed ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu. “The quality and integrity of this data is essential to how well we can tailor and target our related assistance efforts, which in turn aid governments in establishing a dependable foundation of global connectivity and access to aviation’s many socio-economic benefits.”
