ICAO’s first Technical Assistance Mission to Tuvalu

In November 2017, Tuvalu became the 192^nd Member State of ICAO. ICAO’s APAC Regional Office, delivered an onsite ICAO APAC Combined Action Team – Aviation Security (CAT – AVSEC) technical assistance mission to Tuvalu from 11 to 15 September 2023, under the ICAO No Country Left Behind initiative.

The objective of the mission was to work with the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) of Tuvalu and its relevant AVSEC service providers at Funafuti International Airport (FUN) to  enhance the national and airport level AVSEC systems and operations to meet the requirements of Annex 17 – Aviation Security to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and Tuvalu’s National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP).

Technical Assistance is a major component of the “No Country Left Behind” (NCLB) initiative, which focuses on assisting all States on prioritized needs to improve implementation support under all ICAO Strategic Objectives.  

Building partnerships and pooling resources among States, international organizations, development institutions and industry are essential for collaboration on and contribution to technical assistance and cooperation for effective implementation of SARPs and policies by States with sustainable results.

The ICAO team took the onsite opportunity to provide practical recommendations to address the operational challenges, taking into account the unique aviation environment of Tuvalu, in addition to assist in its national-level AVSEC-related legislations and documentations.

The mission included an assessment visit to the Funafuti International Airport to meet with the various AVSEC entities designated with respective roles and responsibilities to implement the requirements of the NCASP.

Throughout the visit, Tuvalu was provided with a series of recommendations and possible solutions to build upon and enhance its aviation security system and operations. ICAO remains steadfast in supporting the State with the implementations of these recommendations and resolution of deficiencies to the extent practicable.