CARIBBEAN Community (CARICOM) Ministers, regional aviation authorities and international partners will meet in Georgetown on Thursday to agree on measures aimed at strengthening aviation safety oversight, regional co-operation and sustainable capacity development.
The Caribbean High-Level Symposium on Aviation Safety, scheduled for October 1 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, is expected to culminate in the adoption of a Georgetown Declaration and a roadmap outlining priority actions for improving aviation safety across the Region.
The one-day symposium is being convened by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), under the theme, “Strengthening Caribbean Aviation Safety: Regional Co-operation, Resilient Oversight and Sustainable Capacity Development.”
The meeting will follow the ICAO/EASA Third Global Forum of Regional Safety Oversight Organisations and Regional Accident and Incident Investigation Organisations, which the Government of Guyana is hosting from September 29 to 30 under the auspices of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
A central focus of the symposium will be the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS), which serves as the community’s principal mechanism for strengthening regional aviation safety oversight.
CASSOS supports CARICOM member states in meeting their international aviation obligations, improving regulatory effectiveness and safety performance, and creating conditions for a more efficient single market for air transport services.
Dr Pauline Yearwood, Programme Manager, Transportation, Directorate of Economic Integration, Innovation and Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, said the symposium is intended to translate identified challenges into practical measures.
“Effective aviation safety oversight is fundamental to safe and sustainable air transport and to advancing the Region’s single market,” Yearwood said.
The symposium will begin with the presentation of the Draft CASSOS Roadmap and Action Matrix to 2035, alongside a review of outcomes from the Global Forum.
Participants will subsequently examine the sustainability of Caribbean civil aviation authorities, progress towards harmonising civil-aviation regulations among member states and the role of safety oversight in supporting an efficient regional air-transport market under the CARICOM Multilateral Air Services Agreement.
A Ministerial Roundtable will bring together ministers responsible for air transportation and senior aviation officials to consider the challenges and priorities facing the sector, while also engaging strategic partners on support for safe, resilient and sustainable aviation.
Industry perspectives are also expected to form part of the discussions.
The agenda will further address emerging risks to aviation safety, the evolving role of CASSOS in assisting member states with implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices, and sustainable approaches to financing and governance for regional safety oversight.
The afternoon session is expected to conclude with the adoption of the Georgetown Declaration, setting out shared priorities and actions for advancing aviation safety across the Caribbean.
A press briefing is scheduled for 16:30hrs (4:30 p.m.) on October 1.