Jamaica Seeking Election to ICAO Council

A local delegation, led by Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Audley Shaw, is in Montréal, Canada, where Jamaica is seeking election to Part III of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council.

The team includes Director General, Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), Nari Williams-Singh; and the Ministry’s Chief Technical Director, Dr. Janine Dawkins, Senior Director of Transport Policy, Tanya Bedward, and Director of Legal Services, Yvonne Barnett Russell.

The election takes place between October 1 and 7, during the 41st Session of the ICAO Assembly, now under way at the organisation’s headquarters in Montréal. The Assembly runs from September 27 to October 7.

A seat on the Council would afford Jamaica the opportunity to participate in the highest level of decision-making within the international aviation industry.

The Council comprises 36 Member States, which are elected by the Assembly every three years.

This body has the delegated authority to guide the ICAO’s work and is responsible for standards adoption and the organisation’s other governance engagements, when the 193-member Assembly is not in session.

Speaking at the launch of Jamaica’s election bid in May, Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said the country “has demonstrated the competence and expertise required to meet the demands of the role and will play a critical part in taking forward the vision and objectives of the ICAO”.

The Prime Minister also pointed out that Jamaica is recognised by the ICAO as a leader in the civil aviation industry among small island developing states (SIDS) and is positioned to provide greater support and undertake strategic roles in the sustainable development and strengthening of the air transport industry.

For his part, Minister Shaw said the bid aims to strengthen Jamaica’s and the Caribbean’s global position in civil aviation. He contended that Jamaica’s election to the Council would place the region in a better position to contribute more meaningfully to strategic discussions and decisions, promoting safety, security, reliability, and modernisation in civil aviation as imperatives for a globally safe, secure and sustainable sector.

The ICAO, which is a specialised agency of the United Nations, was established in 1947 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (1944) as governments sought to support their diplomacy on international air transport matters. Jamaica has been an ICAO Member State since 1963 and represented the English-speaking Caribbean on the Council from 1977 to 1986.