UAE joins international aviation community drafting security recommendations

The conference witnessed the election of HE Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of General Civil Aviation Authority, to chair the Conference.

The Minister of Economy expressed his gratitude to this election and stressed the significance of deliberating with the international community under the umbrella of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Al Mansouri headed the UAE Delegation to Canada accompanied by HE Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of GCAA, Capt. Aysha Al Hamili, Permanent Representative of UAE to ICAO and Eng. Aws Al Khinjari, Executive Directors of Aviation Security Affairs at GCAA.

UAE Delegation deliberated with the international community to come up with a list of recommendations to enhance aviation security around the globe. The conference:

1) encouraged ICAO Member States and industry stakeholders to adopt a risk-based approach to aviation security;

2) welcomed the initiative taken by ICAO to establish a Risk Context Statement which provides valuable information to its Member States and offers a robust methodology for States to use in further developing their own national risk assessments, should they choose to use this methodology;

3) strongly encouraged ICAO to expedite the adoption of new security Standards and Recommended Practices to mitigate the risk to air cargo and mail, based on the implementation of secure supply chain systems, common baseline security measures for both passenger and all-cargo aircraft, and enhanced security measures for cargo and mail considered to be high risk;

4) requested ICAO, the World Customs Organization, the Universal Postal Union and industry stakeholders to identify further synergies between aviation security, Customs and postal security requirements, with the objective of facilitating trade while assuring the security of air cargo and mail;

5) acknowledged that threats posed by insiders are real, and therefore urged ICAO Member States to implement effective mitigation measures, and to adopt a revised ICAO Standard on the screening of persons other than passengers as soon as practicable;

6) acknowledged the need for ICAO and its Member States to address the continued threat to international civil aviation posed by liquid, aerosol and gel (LAG) explosives, including the implementation of technological solutions needed to gradually lift restrictions on the carriage of LAGs in cabin baggage;

7) supported the transition of the ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) to a Continuous Monitoring Approach that combines a risk-based approach to auditing and continuous monitoring, while considering national and regional organization oversight capabilities;

High Level Security Conference serves as an international forum for aviation security experts from over 190 States to look into current security trends and analyze international data gathered by different countries around the world. It fosters international negotiations which lead to introducing new global regulations and policies to optimize aviation security.

The Conference aimed to provide an opportunity for States and aviation stakeholders to engage in discussion on present and future challenges to aviation security; reach global consensus on key aviation security priorities; and ensure that the commitments expressed by States during the series of regional conferences, held in 2011 and 2012, culminate in a harmonized implementation of the ICAO declaration on Aviation Security, through enhanced international cooperation.