Th e International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) high-level ministerial conference on aviation security has endorsed a new Africa and Middle East Aviation Security Roadmap to align future programmes and targets with ICAO’s new Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP).
Addressing the 27 attending ministers and 35 directors general of civil aviation, representing some 45 African and Middle Eastern Member States at the conference held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt recently, ICAO council president Dr.
Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu stressed that ICAO’s new GASep sets out key priorities where ICAO, states, and others should now focus their urgent attention, resources and eff orts, as well as corresponding actions at the global, national and local levels.
“ICAO recognized long ago that it is imperative that all States have optimized access to the signifi cant socio-economic benefi ts of safe, secure and reliable global connectivity.
And more eff ective compliance with our global standards, policies and plans is the very fi rst and most fundamental step on that journey,” he said.
He explained that the main objective of the Africa-India Ocean (AFI) and Middle East Aviation Security (MID AVSEC) Roadmap is to encourage and help guide the Africa and Middle East collaboration now needed.
Aliu praised the commitments realized in Sharm El Sheikh as a critical fi rst step which should be emulated worldwide as ICAO seeks similar commitments in aid of its coordinating eff orts for global aviation security eff ectiveness and sustainability.
“Th e GASeP provides an ambitious framework while incorporating key themes from United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 2309, on Th reats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts via aviation security, adopted in September 2016,” he added.
Egypt’s minister of civil aviation, declared the ministerial conference open under the patronage of the country’s president, Mr. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi.
“Th is Roadmap complements the important milestone we achieved in the region earlier this year through the Riyadh declaration.
It also strongly supports the current AFI and MID security facilitation (MID SECFAL) Plans and will be essential to improved regional cooperation and coordination to enhance aviation security in both Regions.
” Fathi thanked the ICAO president for the UN agency’s leadership in aviation security, while commending the expanded role now being played by its regional offi ces in Africa and the Middle East.
