About IAC participation in ICAO Conference on COVID-19

Leaders and experts of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) took part in the High-Level Conference on COVID-19 (HLCC 2021). The Conference included a Plenary session at the level of ministers of transport and civil aviation of the ICAO participating countries on management of recovery of aviation sector and ensuring its resilience and sustainability in times of crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome of the Conference formed the basis of the Declaration which was adopted at the closing Ministerial Plenary with participation of heads of international organizations. 

The participants of the Conference emphasized the need to continue to provide financial and regulatory support at the national level, noting that their application should be comprehensive, targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary which will keep the the market dynamics and take into account international commitments. "Given the limited resources available to respond to the crisis and the opposition of priorities, it is essential that all parties concerned including financial institutions, international partners and the private sector, act in a coordinated manner, - ICAO President Salvatore Sciacchitano stressed. - It is the primary responsibility of the states and ICAO to develop appropriate emergency response policies after COVID-19 which will be based on improved risk management and crisis preparedness, supported by innovative solutions such as digital technologies". 

Participants agreed that it is paramount to the resumption and recovery efforts to define flexible, proportionate, non-discriminatory and science-based multi-layered risk management strategies for international civil aviation.

ICAO-IAC close cooperation dates back to over 30 years and continues to develop successfully on the basis of an open-ended Agreement with ICAO to ensure the safe, dynamic and economically sustainable development of the aviation industry including solutions related to the pandemic impact on international air transport. The IAC highly appriciated the measures taken by the Heads of State and Government of the States parties to the Inter-State Agreement of Civil Aviation and Use of Airspace to assist and support aviation in terms of the pandemic. The IAC, for its part, has made significant efforts to develop measures to support civil aviation during recovery from pandemic and its aftermath focusing on aviation safety, risk management and prevention programmes, digitalization, implementation of innovative programmes that take into account the decisions of the ICAO, Interstate Council on Aviation and correspond to the national programmes of the States parties to the Agreement. As a result of the international conferences held in 2020-2021 within the framework of the ICAO-IAC Project, IAC has sent proposals and related initiatives to States in the region, ICAO and other international organizations.  

Within the framework of its competence and rights, IAC will take the necessary measures to implement declaration adopted by the High-Level Conference on COVID-19, as well as other outcome documents and resolutions on initiatives of international organizations.  

The IAC thanks the experts of the State-parties to the Agreement for taking part in preparation of the materials presented to the Conference. 

The Conference declaration and documents are published on the website. 

https://www.icao.int/Meetings/HLCC2021/Pages/default_ru.aspx