The safety, security, and sustainability of air transport regionally and globally were carried forward during a recent mission by ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar to Chile, at the occasion of the (pictured) Seventeenth Meeting of Civil Aviation Authorities (RAAC/17), which took place in Santiago from 11 to 14 April 2023.
The RAAC/17 meeting addressed themes around the governance of civil aviation authorities (CAA), competitiveness, human resources, environmental sustainability, innovation, and the effectiveness of the aviation plans. It resulted in the RAAC/17 Civil Aviation Declaration for South American Region, whereby the participants committed themselves to working collaboratively on these topics, “with all stakeholders to achieve our shared goals of a safe, secure, efficient, sustainable, and thriving aviation industry in South America.”
The meeting also comprised a presentation on the promotion of ratification of international air law treaties, urging those States that have not done so to ratify them.
In addition to contributing to this pivotal event during his mission, the Secretary General also held bilateral meetings with Chile’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Mr. Juan Carlos Muñoz Abogabir; Minister of Defense, Mrs. Maya Alejandra Fernández Allende; Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Gloria de la Fuente González; and with the Secretary General of the Civil Aeronautics Board (JAC) and the Director General of Civil Aeronautics of Chile, Mr. Martin Mackenna and General Raúl Jorquera Conrads, respectively.
At these meetings and activities, the Secretary General expressed ICAO’s gratitude to the Government of Chile for its continuous efforts to support the organization’s safety, security, and sustainability strategic objectives, as illustrated by its efforts to heighten the implementation of ICAO’s technical guidance and planning and the leadership role it plays in advancing the sustainable development of aviation in the region.
Mr. Salazar congratulated Chile for its establishment of mechanisms that contribute to the development, production, and implementation of use of alternative fuels (SAF). He also formalized a new agreement with Chile’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications on the undertaking of activities to support the ICAO Assistance, Capacity Building and Training Programme for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) initiative.
Other meetings with airlines and fuel producers focused on avenues for expanding cooperation with ICAO, as did several meetings with various aviation authorities from the region. Meetings with regions’ regulatory authorities reinforced ICAO’s commitment, motivation and initiatives toward the transformation of the Organization itself, with a view to better serving them and the region generally.
Throughout his mission, Mr. Salazar was accompanied by ICAO’s Director of the Technical Cooperation Bureau, Mr. Jorge Vargas, the Director of the Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau, Mr. Michael Gill, the Regional Director for South America, Mr. Fabio Rabbani, as well as the Acting Regional Director for North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
SAM region en route to «NetZero» target by 2050
While in Chile, the Secretary General also addressed a special ICAO Seminar on long-term global aspirational goal (LTAG) for international aviation of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The event, which brought together a wide variety of stakeholders – including aviation and clean energy innovators, aircraft manufacturers, industry operators and fuel producers – provided a platform to review their achievements to date and identify new avenues for carrying forward progress towards their long-term goals for carbon neutrality.
The seminar was opened by the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications of Chile, the Director General of the DGAC of Chile, and ICAO’s Secretary General.
