The second – Council phase of the 201st Session of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council has ended in Montreal. The meetings were attended by the Polish Delegation - President of the Civil Aviation Authority Mr. Piotr Ołowski and Permanent Representative to the Council - Dr. Małgorzata Polkowska.
On the first day of the council phase on 24 February 2014, the EU coordination meeting was held. During the meeting the working papers were discussed which had been taken into consideration during the first week of Council meetings. The presented documents related to the security and facilitation, implementation of the Universal Security Audit Programme – Continous Monitoring Approach transition plan, environmental protection and the establishment of the Environment Advisory Group. Later in the day the first meeting of the Council was held.
The Council Members were presented with the Report on Evaluation of the Results Based Management at ICAO, ICAO Performance Management Project, Revenue-Generating Activities Policy and the Review of Assembly resolutions and decisions on policy and administrative subject followed by the oral reports of Finance Committee, Human Resources Committee, Technical Co-operation Committee and Working Group of Governance and Efficiency. The participants discussed the Review of the Evaluation and Audit Advisory Committee (EAAC) and the matters regarding the appointment of new members of the committee on the 3-year term from 1 September 2014.
On February 25, an informal briefing of the Council took place, during which there were presented the proposed changes in the structure of the Organization and the possible introduction of the new post of Deputy Secretary General. Delegations were asked to give comments on the proposed changes. Polish delegation representing the position of the CERG member stated has not made any comment on this issue and supported the presented changes. ICAO Secretary General announced that the restructuring of the organization will be discussed before the Council and invited the Representatives to address all the additional questions, related to this matter to his office.
On 26 February there was held a second meeting of the Council within the framework of the second phase of 201 Session. The council members have discussed resolutions and decisions taken during the 38th Session of the ICAO Assembly and was presented with a report on the implementation of the transition plan of the Continuous Monitoring Approach. The Review of decisions and resolutions of the ICAO Assembly in the field of economic development of the air transport market was also presented.
The President of the Civil Aviation Authority Mr. Piotr Ołowski referring to the presented document stated that a deadline for 2016 in terms of “developing an international agreement to liberalize air carrier ownership and control” is too distant. He stressed that this is one of the priorities of the European Union, and was recognized as a priority in the document presented at the 38th Session of the ICAO Assembly.
CAA President also reminded that no action has been taken yet on the creation of tools to provide an exchange forum for States to promote more compatible regulatory approaches in international air transport. He added that this point was also recognized as a priority of the European Union and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC). At the end of the meeting there was presented a document containing a proposal for the establishment of a voluntary air transport fund (TRAF). The main purpose of which would be to foster the development of a sound and economically-viable civil aviation system. The fund, which would be comprised of voluntary donations from States and stakeholders, would allow ICAO to better manage resources pertaining to the air transport work programme endorsed by the Council and Assembly under Strategic Objective D – Economic Development of Air Transport. Mr. Piotr Ołowski again took the floor and stressed that the TRAF fund should be constructed and managed in such a way that countries that do not contribute to the fund have an equal status in ICAO as countries that provide funds. He added that the projects realised under fund financing (especially under “specified contributions”) must not engage ICAO resources in the way that they will harm or delay projects being realised on a regular basis. After completion of the second meeting of the Council, President of the CAA met with the President of the ICAO Council Dr. Benard Olumuyiwa Aliu.
On 26 February 2014, within the 201st Session of the ICAO Council was held a meeting of the Technical Co-Operation Committee Ad Hoc Working Group On Technical Cooperation Programme Development . The group in addition to the Chairman of the Technical Co-operation Committee consists of permanent representatives of Spain, Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Portugal, Brazil and Poland. On February 28, was held the third meeting of the Council. During the meeting, there were presented issues concerning the environment. Members of the Council discussed the decisions and resolutions adopted during the 38th Session of the ICAO Assembly. The proposed actions arising from Resolution primarily constitute a continuation of ICAO's technical work in the area of environmental protection focusing on noise and local air quality issues.
The other resolution provides the Organization with an ambitious work programme on international aviation and climate change for the next triennium, in which five key areas of work requested by the Assembly are identified:
1) global aspirational goals,
2) States' action plans,
3) assistance to States,
4) market-based measures (MBMs), and
5) sustainable alternative fuels for aviation.
In addition, the members was familiarized with the report describing recent development in the field of environmental protection of other United Nations bodies and international organizations. The report has provided the information on the outcome of the 19th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP19) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in conjunction with the 9th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP9), from 11 to 23 November 2013 in Warsaw, Poland. The conference also included the 39th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA39), and the second session of the Ad-hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP2).
The Warsaw conference adopted a series of decisions, including the acceleration of the work of the ADP towards the adoption, by 2015, of a legally-binding agreement on climate change and invited all Parties to initiate or intensify domestic preparations for their intended nationally determined contributions, in the context of the 2015 agreement.
The Council agreed that the Environment Advisory Group (EAG) should be under Council control and that it is desired to launch the operaion of the group quickly. There were no objections concerning the participation of IATA's observers in the group. Review of The Report Of The Twenty-Fourth Meeting Of The Dangerous Goods Panel (DGP/24) was presented by the President of the Air Navigation Commission. The Commission made a preliminary review of proposals to incorporate references to safety management system (SMS) requirements into Annex 18, to upgrade a recommended practice related to dangerous goods.
The Council observed one minute of silence for Dr. Assad Kotaite, ICAO Council President Emeritus who passed away late 27 February. Dr. Kotaite was universally recognized as one of the most prominent and respected figures in the world of civil aviation, recipient of 40th ICAO Edward Warner Award in 2013. The funeral ceremony is expected to be held on Tuesday, 4 March. On March 4, the second meeting of the Working Group on Governance and Efficiency (WGGE) was held within 201st Session of the Council of ICAO. Before the meeting was held a funeral ceremony of Dr. Assad Kotaite, President Emeritus of the ICAO Council, who passed away on 27 February 2014. The ceremony was attended by Members of the Council of ICAO, Secretary General Mr. Raymond Benjamin, President of the ICAO Council Dr. Benard Olumuyiwa Aliu and former President of the ICAO Council Mr. Roberto Kobeh González.
On 5 March 2014 was held the fifth meeting of the Council of ICAO under the 201st Session. Members of the Council with the participation of the Permanent Representative of Poland Dr. Małgorzata Polkowska discussed a series of documents including the Report of the Monitoring and Assistance Review Board (MARB) and a Report of the Implementation Support and Development - Security (ISD -SEC) Programme.
The members of the Council were presented with the annual report on the activities of the ICAO Regional Offices and work programmes for 2014. Activities have been summarized under six main areas: Safety, Capacity and Efficiency of Air Navigation, Security and Facilitation, Economic Development of Air Transport, Environment and Technical Cooperation. Later in the meeting there were presented a Report on Technical Co-operation Programme Development, a Review of the organizational structure and functions of the ICAO Regional Offices and review of the resolutions and decisions of the 38th Session of the ICAO Assembly concerning legal subjects.
On 6 March, a coordination meeting of the European Union was held followed by the first meeting of the newly established Environmental Advisory Group (EAG). During the coordination meeting the participants discussed matters, which were to be discussed at the EAG meeting, recent work amending the scope of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for aviation including outcomes from Trilogue’ meeting of the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission. During the EAG meeting, the Group elected the Chairman of EAG, which was Mr. Tee Chiou Ng, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the Council of ICAO. The participants discussed the methodology of work, manner of conducting meetings and reporting to the Council. There were presented the work programme and the roadmap. During the meeting, representatives of the BRIC countries actively participated in discussions on the MBMs.
It was found that observers of EAG meetings may also have an input in discussion. Mr. Victor Aguado, Representative of Spain suggested that during the next week's meeting of the Council of ICAO there should be presented a report on the meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CAEP), which took place in Washington DC, USA. The meeting of the Group was also participated by: the President of the ICAO Council Dr. Benard Olumuyiwa Aliu, Secretary General of ICAO Mr. Raymond Benjamin, Director of Air Transport Bureau, Dr. Boubacar Djibo and Ms. Jane Hupe, Chief, Environment Branch, ICAO. The next meeting of the group were scheduled on 13 March. In 2014 the Representatives in the EAG are: Representative of UK or Germany, Spain and the Italy (Acting as a EU Co-ordinator on behalf of Greece). In 2015 the Representatives will be: Representative of UK or Germany, France and EU Co-ordinator.
On 7 March was held the sixth meeting of the ICAO Council in Montreal. It was the last meeting of the "Safety Week". The Council considered a number of documents. Before the beginning of the meeting the Permanent Representative of Australia to the Council Ms. Kerryn Macaulay delivered a speech on the occasion of International Women's Day, in which their contributions have made all five female Representatives in the Council - (Australia, Nicaragua, Poland, Portuguese and United Arab Emirates). In her speech, recalled the first woman to sit in the ICAO Council in years 1971-1977, representing the USA - Ms. Betty Crites Dillon. Ms. Dillon was a licensed pilot and a veteran of the Peace Corps. During the current ICAO triennium there is the largest cohort of women serving on the Council in history. The speech highlighted the increasingly important role of women in aviation and the need to support young female professionals in the field of aviation and provide support in their carriers. The female Representatives in the Council provided each of the Council members and each of the females present in this room and in the interpretation booths, with a simple flower. After this symbolic gesture the Council began deliberations.
Members of the Council considered the request of the Aviation Working Group (AWG) for inclusion on a list of international organizations which can participate in ICAO meetings as observers. No objections were raised for the request, and it was decided that the Council should always be informed of the intention to participate in the meeting and the decision on participation will be taken on the case basis. Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation presented a document on changes in the policy of ICAO.
Polish Permanent Representative to the Council - Dr. Małgorzata Polkowska supported the document and pointed to the need to verify if all the activities of the Organization continues to be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. She stressed that it is the role of the Council to increase the efficiency of work of the Organization and considered that the submitted document can serve as a tool for the necessary changes. Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country (RHCC) gave an oral report on the work of the committee. There was also presented the annual report of Ethics Officer and Chairman of the of Human Resources Committee presented a report on its activities. Permanent Representative of China to the Council presented a proposal for the creation of the "Friends of the Council" group which would consist of former Presidents of the Council, the Secretaries General and former Representatives on the Council. The Council members have not raised the objections to the creation of such a group, but also discussed the function they would serve.
There were presented a document on regional groups for Equitable Geographical Representation in the ICAO. The document was prepared in the context of listing of Turkey in the region of the Middle East (MID). The Council requested the Secretariat to provide additional information for review. This paper presents historical information on the regional groupings used by ICAO for EGR purposes and provides an overview of the practice of the United Nations system organizations in this regard.The document states There is no common practice regarding EGR in the organizations of the UN common system. The current practice at ICAO with regard to grouping of States for recruitment and geographical representation purposes, by decision of the Council, is based on the practice at the UN. The UN has not reported on EGR by Region since 1998, at which time Turkey was still included in the MID Region. The Representative of Turkey who participated in the meeting as an observer expressed the will of Turkey to start in the elections to the ICAO Council in 2016.
On 10 March 2014 was held last - the seventh meeting of the Council of ICAO during the 201st Session in Montreal. The meeting was attended by Representative of the Republic of Poland Dr. Małgorzata Polkowska. The meeting was preceded by a Coordination Meeting of the European Union. The Participants of the meeting considered a document on the restructuring of the Secretariat of ICAO. During a long discussion, representatives of various countries presented their remarks and questions. Dr. Polkowska stressed that the restructuring of the Organization should not raise concerns if it does not affect the budget of the Organization and in the light of the new tasks set after 38th Session of the Assembly seems to be justified. Following discussion, the Council adopted the proposed restructuring.
On 11 March 2014 in Montreal was held a second meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group of Technical Co-operation Committee (TCC). The participants of the meeting discussed the CAEP performance indicators, the organization of the training courses, regional seminars and conferences, and regional cooperation in the field of work of Technical Cooperation Bureau (TCB). There were also presented the results of the satisfaction surveys determining the customer satisfaction and suitability of Bureau’s projects. Permanent Representative of Poland on the Council of ICAO, Dr. Małgorzata Polkowska presented a number of ideas for the improvement of TCB reports. Dr. Polkowska proposed the implementation of time frame for all TCB projects and reducing costs. In addition, she stated that there should be more information provided on terminated projects and suggested the development of guidelines for the Member States which apply for the projects or seek detailed information. Members of the Group requested for an informal meeting during the next Session of the ICAO Council on the work and activities of the Technical Cooperation Bureau (TCB) in practice. The main conclusion of the meeting is the need to improve the work and transparency of the Bureau, and ultimately increase satisfaction of the customers. The next meeting of the Group is scheduled at committee phase during the 202nd Sessions of the Council of ICAO.
On 13 March 2014, the second meeting of the Environment Advisory Group (EAG) preceded by a meeting of the coordination meeting of the European Union was held. During the meeting of the Group there was presented the EAG Group website, accessible to all members of the Council of ICAO. This was followed by the presentation of Strawman for a Global Market-Based Measure Scheme for international aviation. Representatives of BRIC countries expressed their concerns and asked questions about the document. The Representatives of the European Union presented their observations. During the meeting, the suggestion was established to synchronize the meetings of the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) and the EAG Group. Present at the meeting experts from the USA and Canada expressed their opinions. The repporteur of the CAEP meeting in Washington reported on issues discussed during the meeting and informed of major developments in the work of the Committee. Meeting of the EAG was the last in the 201st Session of the ICAO Council. The next EAG meeting will be held in April and May. The next 202nd Council Session in Montreal will begin on 6 May. Committee Phase of the Council will be held from 6 May to 16 May 2014 and Council Phase from 9 to 27 June 2014.
We invite to visit CERG’s website to read more detailed news about the ICAO Council Meetings.
