The 38th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will be held on September 24th, 2013 in Montreal, Canada. A specialized agency of the United Nations, with 191 Member States, ICAO sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency and regularity, as well as for aviation environmental protection. In preparation of the 38th Assembly, on May 23, 2013, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) held an international stakeholders meeting to review the FAA’s positions and strategy.
At past ICAO assemblies, the FAA has tried to form a team and position in response to every issue and paper put before the ICAO Assembly. However, due to the budget cuts imposed by sequestration and a desire to focus efforts on key objectives, the FAA is adopting a different, more focused strategy for the 38th Assembly. Specifically, the FAA is focused on getting the Global Air Navigation Plan approved by ICAO. The Global Air Navigation Plan, already adopted by the 12th Air Navigation Conference, serves to modernize and integrate the international air navigation system. Similarly, the U.S. delegation from the FAA is also pushing for the approval of the Global Air Safety Plan. This plan would serve to provide a framework for a compatible and integrated approach to national safety management functions. The U.S delegation to ICAO is also trying to reform that body’s use of expert groups, as the FAA believes that there is often a large degree of duplication when it comes to those group’s efforts.
At the stakeholder’s meeting, the FAA also reviewed the political dynamics that were expected to play out at the 38th Assembly. The FAA noted that while past Assemblies had largely been predictable, that the 38th Assembly was expected to be more dynamic, as Member States representing emergency markets and aviation industries are pushing for greater representation within ICAO. This push for influence can be seen through Qatar’s request to have ICAO’s headquarters moved from Montreal to Doha, a move that the FAA, as a representative of the American government, does not support. The FAA also characterized Saudi Arabia’s request to expand the ICAO Council from thirty-six (36) to thirty-nine (39) members as representative of this emerging dynamic, another proposal that the FAA is not supporting.
The FAA also mentioned that the tensions between countries with emerging and developed aviation industries would also be felt keenly on the issue of climate change, with those countries supporting emerging markets being generally opposed to market-based measures (MBM) to combat climate change. During the 37th Assembly in 2010, climate change and use of MBM, such as the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme, proved to be a contentious issue.
The Wicks Group, PLLC regularly advises foreign governments and private clients on issues of compliance with ICAO standards and recommended practices. For more information on ICAO and FAA’s preparation for the 38th Assembly, please contact Ronce Almond at (202) 457-7790 or at ralmond@wicks-group.com.
LINK TO SLIDESHOW FROM PRESENTATION:
http://www.wicks-group.com/news2/attachments/ISM_May_23.pdf