Renato Cláudio Costa Pereira was the President of CERNAI, the Brazilian government agency which is responsible for international air navigation affairs. In this capacity, he was responsible for relations with ICAO, for bilateral agreements on air transportation, and for representing Brazil at international organizations that deal with air navigation and air transport agreements and matters related to air services and airspace safety.

 

Between 1992 and 1996, Mr. Pereira was also President of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC) and was instrumental in changing LACAC's constitution so that any American state can become a member, thus transforming the organization into a Pan-American body.

 

Mr. Pereira began his career in 1961 with the Brazilian Air Force, eventually reaching the rank of Major General. Through the years, he held a number of key positions in the management and development of civil aviation. He served successively as Director of the Flight Protection Institute, Logistics Advisor of the Minister of Aeronautics' Staff, and Chief of the Brazilian Air Commission in London. He was in charge of the Brazilian delegations at the 29th and 30th  sessions of the ICAO Assembly, held in Montreal in 1992 and 1995 respectively.

 

Mr. Pereira was appointed Secretary General of ICAO on 1 August 1997 and served for a period of six years.