Jamaica to Chair Technical Stream for ICAO High Level Conference on COVID-19

The Director-General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Nari Williams-Singh, has been elected to chair the Technical Stream on Safety Issues and Objectives of a High Level International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) conference on COVID-19.

Deputy Secretary of the Singapore Ministry of Transport, Mr. Kevin Shum, will act as Vice-Chair.

The conference is being held virtually October 12 – 22 under the theme, ‘One Vision for Aviation Recovery, Resilience and Sustainability: Beyond the Global Pandemic’. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Mr. Williams-Singh outlined the importance and timeliness of the conference, as the aviation sector seeks to respond to the challenges that the pandemic has created in international air transport. “As the local and international aviation industry continues to face historically unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has continued our trademark collaborative efforts to ensure aviation remains safe, as a preferred and highly efficient transportation mode,” he said. “Jamaica, as a main hub in the Americas region, is continuing to support safety, resilience and recovery for our aviation industry, which plays a vital role in interconnectivity and the economies of states. We must remain safe and resilient, as we support travel, economic development, tourism and access to essential goods and services,” the Director-General continued.

The conference is expected to establish a global consensus on a multilateral approach that will enable aviation’s safe and efficient recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and build a foundation to strengthen resilience in aviation and make it more sustainable in the future. Issues to be considered during the event will include safety and facilitation

objectives, and the economic impact of COVID-19 on the sector. Efforts to harmonise measures and risk management strategies, through the implementation of recommendations established by the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART) will also be promoted. The International Civil Aviation Organization has 193 member countries.

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) is a statutory organisation of the Ministry of Transport and Mining, which is responsible for regulating Jamaica’s aviation industry and supporting its safe and orderly development.