"…Collaborative safety and security oversight approaches are critical for many countries in the world today, permitting them to cost-effectively pool their resources and share responsibilities. Ultimately this regional oversight cooperation serves to strengthen local safety and security performance, and in so doing reassure  millions of tourists and other international passengers that they can consider and explore Eastern Caribbean destinations with the same overall levels of confidence and trust that make air transport such an important force for economic growth all over the world today…" Secretary General, Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar.

 

The ICAO NACC Regional Office, under its Systemic Assistance Programme (SAP), developed a strategy specifically tailored for the Eastern Caribbean ICAO Contracting States, namely: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which focuses its activities on strengthening their Multistate Civil Aviation Authority: the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA). This strategy includes several activities such as high-level events, on-site Technical Assistance Missions (TEAMs), webinars and teleconferences, in order to maintain continuous liaison and ensure ECCAA Member States' political will, governments' commitment and ECCAA's leadership to execute its roles and delegated undertakings.

 

The strategy, through this comprehensive approach applies a monitoring, performance, and accountability-based methodology that addresses all areas of the civil aviation system (e.g. air navigation, safety, security, and environment) and focuses its efforts on building an appropriately-organized, funded and empowered civil aviation organization, structured to effectively carry out its safety and security oversight functions and duties, the resolution of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA) Significant safety concerns (SSCs), the Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) CMA Significant Security Concerns (SSeCs), and to regain United States' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)/International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 through compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).

 

The strategy is receiving the active support from the NACC SAP "Champion States" (Canada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and United States) and international organizations. Their continuous commitment and support for a united, coordinated and collaborative approach for the strengthening of the ECCAA is key for these efforts to turn into success.

 

The following scheme explains the project scope and interactions with SAP "Champion States" and International Organizations:

 

The ICAO secure portal (https://portal.icao.int/), under the "IPAV_ECCAA_OECS" group, includes detailed information about the NACC SAP implementation and results. For additional information, please contact:

 

Mr. Luis Sánchez, Regional Officer, Aeronautical Meteorology and Environment – NACC ECCAA Focal Point at: lsanchez [at] icao.int (lsanchez[at]icao[dot]int) and Mrs. Carla Cortés, Assistant, at ccortes [at] icao.int (ccortes[at]icao[dot]int) both from the ICAO NACC Regional Office.