Promotion of the Ratification of International Air Law Instruments
The President of the Council and the Secretary General continued to promote ratification of international air law instruments during their visits to Member States and meetings with high-level government officials.
A State letter was issued on 20 January 2017 encouraging States to ratify the Protocols Amending Articles 50 (a) and 56 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed at Montréal on 6 October 2016. Additionally, two State letters were issued on 2 March 2017 encouraging States to ratify the Beijing instruments (Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Relating to International Civil Aviation (2010) and the Protocol Supplementary to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft (2010)) and the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, done at Montréal on 28 May 1999 (Montreal Convention of 1999).
The Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau facilitated a legal seminar for Africa, organized by the Eastern and Southern Africa ICAO Regional Office, to promote the Beijing instruments and the Protocol to Amend the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft (Montréal Protocol of 2014). The Montreal Convention of 1999, the Cape Town Convention and its Aircraft Protocol of 2001 and the Protocols amending Articles 50 (a) and 56 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation were also covered at the legal seminar. The legal seminar, held on 27 and 28 November 2017, was attended by 54 participants from 21 African States and two regional safety organizations.
