Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, led a five person team to represent the Government of Guyana at the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 39th General Assembly in Montreal, Canada.
At the Assembly, Member States elected the thirty-six (36) Member States that make up the ICAO Council under three (3) parts.
The Council carries out the directions of the Assembly and discharges the duties and obligations laid on it by the Chicago Convention.
The 39th Assembly adopted a historic resolution to implement a Global Market-based Measure (GMBM) scheme in the form of a Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) to address annual increase in total CO2 emissions from international civil aviation (i.e. civil aviation flights that depart in one country and arrive in a different country) above the 2020 levels.
The GMBM scheme is part of the ICAO basket of measures which include developing aircraft technologies, operational improvements, and sustainable alternative fuels to achieve ICAO’s global goal of keeping the global net CO2 emissions from international aviation from 2020 at the same level.
Civil Aviation is a key facilitator of global, regional and national development. Globally the sector moves 3.3 billion passengers annually, contributes roughly 3.5 percent of global Gross Domestic Product, and employs some 58 million people worldwide.
In Guyana, the aviation sector provides an estimated 3,000 plus direct jobs and is responsible for bringing over 80 percent of tourists to Guyana. The aviation sector connects Guyana’s coastland and hinterland communities and supports a variety of activities and sectors such as agriculture, forestry, mining, tourism and social services.
Guyana’s participation in the Assembly provided opportunities for it to join with other small States to represent the interest of small developing countries and also to reach out to both States and international organizations for financial and technical assistance to raise the standards of aviation in Guyana.
During the Assembly, Guyana held bilateral meetings with Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Republic of Korea,and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Presently, Guyana’s level of effective implementation is 44.21 percent as it relates to the eight critical elements of safety oversight as established by ICAO.
The Government and GCAA Board of Directors are working with the newly appointed Director General, Lt. Col. (Rtd.) Egbert Field to remedy Guyana’s low level of compliance.
To move the process forward, work has already commenced on modernizing the civil aviation regulations in order to be compliant with ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices.
