The Third Global Aviation Cooperation Symposium to convene in Thailand

ICAO's Global Aviation Cooperation Symposium will address SARPS compliance and capacity building through ICAO technical support programmes. GACS/3 is being held from 22 to 24 July 2019 in Phuket, Thailand. 

Five years ago ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Bureau (TCB) organized the first Global Aviation Cooperation Symposium. At the heart of the first GACS was the establishment of a forum that would cover the full spectrum of civil aviation, allowing for States and other industry stakeholders to exchange on the challenges they faced. By offering a comprehensive and holistic approach, the Symposium successfully provided a central platform for discussions on key issues and the exchange of views and the latest trends and innovations in air transport, as well as sharing best practices to support a safe and efficient future for global aviation.

The theme of the original GACS was “Building Cooperation for the Future of Civil Aviation: Innovation, Growth and Technical Cooperation”. The event was hosted at ICAO Headquarters and attended by more than 400 participants from around the globe. In addition, 35 industry and Government sponsors and exhibitors contributed to ensure the event’s success.

Three years later in 2017, TCB collaborated with the Hellenic Civil Aviation Organization (HCAA) and the Athens International Airport (AIA), to organize the second Global Aviation Cooperation Symposium (GACS/2). The theme was “Managing Change: Building a Safe, Secure and Sustainable Aviation Community”; more than 350 participants attended the panels, workshops and industry exhibition. The regional event helped to foster a forum for regulators, service providers, operators and other industry stakeholders to discuss and share their experiences and best practices in implementing technical cooperation projects, with the aim of fostering a solid aviation community.

TCB is currently organizing the third edition of the GACS, this time in close collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the ICAO Regional Office in Bangkok. The symposium’s theme is ICAO: Bridging the SARPs Compliance Gap with Quality and Efficiency”. High-level key-note speakers will outline the vision of aviation’s future and how to overcome the challenges we will face as an aviation community.

GACS/3 will feature speaker sessions, discussion panels, and workshops that cover all main areas of civil aviation, including infrastructure development and compliance improvement through technical expertise. Topics will address cooperation through regional projects, capacity building through training, and project funding and resource mobilization. Moreover, the event will offer a unique opportunity to obtain in-depth knowledge of ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme and how it can meet States’ needs.

ICAO and CAAT have invited all States and other stakeholders to participate in GACS/3. For more information on the event, you may contact the coordination team here.

The TCB Vision

There is a need for increased technical cooperation and assistance across the full spectrum of civil aviation to achieve the goals of the ICAO No Country Left Behind (NCLB) initiative. In this respect, the vision of ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Bureau (TCB) is to enable States to attain a high standard of Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) compliance, thereby reaping the economic and social benefits related to air transport. TCB understands the needs and challenges of the aviation world and from experience knows how to overcome those problems with efficiency and effectiveness.

TCB assists States to improve their operational safety, security, and efficiency to contribute to the global and uniform implementation of ICAO SARPs. With more than six decades of experience, and drawing upon all of the technical expertise and knowledge available within ICAO, TCB’s mission is to provide unrivalled in-depth assistance to States with their aviation projects.


The main goals of GACS/3:
Goal 1 – Bridging the Gap: Complying with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).

The Symposium will set the stage of aviation today, underscoring the challenges the aviation community faces in the near future and discuss how best to decrease the SARPs compliance gap in order to build and maintain a safe, secure and sustainable aviation system.

Goal 2 – Determining unique solutions for capacity building through technical cooperation and assistance projects.

States will have the occasion to capture commonly found issues, solutions and best practices shared through the presentation of Technical Cooperation and Technical Assistance projects. In order to build a safe, secure and sustainable air transport industry, potential solutions will be discussed, organized in topics, including infrastructure development, training, and capacity building through experts, regional cooperation, and leveraging synergies with development partners.

Goal 3 – Promote the role ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme in assisting States to achieve their goals.

The Symposium will also provide a general overview of ICAO’s TC Programme services and best practices assisting Member States and regional organizations to bridge the non-compliance gap.

Goal 4 – Strengthen institutional and cross-industry relationships.

The Symposium will bring together ICAO experts, Member States, industry providers, national, regional and international organizations to enhance collaboration between regulators, industry, donors and other stakeholders through technical cooperation.