There are seven ICAO Regional Offices worldwide — Bangkok, Cairo, Dakar, Lima, Mexico City, Nairobi, and Paris — that strengthen the coordination and implementation of ICAO’s global Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) at the regional level. The Asia and Pacific (APAC) Regional Office, based in Bangkok, supports 39 Contracting States and territories in advancing aviation safety, security, efficiency, and environmental sustainability across the region.
In line with this mission, the ICAO Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Liaison Office was formally opened in Nadi, Fiji, in August 2024 to serve Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federal States of), Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Establishing the PSIDS Liaison Office marked a milestone in strengthening direct engagement and tailored support to Pacific island States under ICAO’s No Country Left Behind (NCLB) initiative. ICAO Secretary General, Mr Juan Carlos Salazar, and the Republic of Fiji acting Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Mr Viliame Gavoka at the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) complex in Nadi formally opened this office, addressing ICAO’s increased ICAO commitment under the NCLB initiative through direct regional liaison. The office serves as a focal point for ICAO’s engagement with, and support for, development by the Pacific Island member States of sustainable aviation safety, security, capacity and efficiency, all of which are vital to their socio-economic development aspirations.
The opening of the PLO fulfilled the recommendation from ICAO’s 2019 PSIDS Aviation Needs Analysis Study to work in close coordination with the relevant experts at the ICAO APAC RO and ICAO Headquarters, and facilitate coordination and cooperation, as applicable, with all relevant stakeholders, including assistance donors, training institutions, MDBs and other UN organizations with offices in the PSIDS region to strengthen national and regional aviation safety and security oversight. The enablement of the PLO presence has been made possible with the gracious support of Fiji as the host government to provide facilities and ongoing support. The PLO is currently staffed by an ICAO officer, supported by an Administrative Associate.
This was held in conjunction with the first PSIDS-ICAO Coordination Workshop, attended by PSIDS, ICAO and Donor States and Organizations that engaged participants in discussions on the Study recommendations, planning and priority for support and assistance in the region. Since establishing the PLO in Fiji, in addition to ICAO Headquarters and APAC RO activities, the PLO has overseen the delivery of specific activities for the PSIDS, including the following:
- A Government Safety Inspector (GSI) Airworthiness – Air Operator and Approved Maintenance Organization Certification (GSI-AIR) Course conducted in Fiji to provide aviation safety inspectors with standardized knowledge and skills to carry out certification of air transport operators and approved maintenance organizations.
- A Search and Rescue (SAR) Capability Improvement project the objective of providing technical assistance to PSIDS to enhance and enable development of their SAR capabilities. Phase 1 (Gap Analysis Study) of a three-phase project has been completed that informs Phase 2 SAR workshop to familiarize PSIDS with Annex 6, 11, Annex 12, Doc 4444, Doc 9731 and Asia/Pacific SAR Plan provisions.
- An Instrument Flight Procedures (IFP) workshop in Fiji on the requirements of effective oversight of IFPs on design, validation, approval & maintenance; tools and best practices for the development of a strong oversight of IFPs to ensure the quality assurance requirements are fully met; and Illustrate processes to evolve effective implementation framework in CAAs for oversight of IFPs.
- Workshop on the State Action Plan (SAP) to reduce CO2 emissions from International Aviation that provide targeted assistance and practical guidance to States in preparing, updating, and submitting their SAPs to ICAO.
In addition to the above activities, the PSIDS Liaison Officer has visited several PSIDS to understand the challenges that are both unique to the State and common for the region.
The PLO is an important initiative of ICAO to mobilize assistance and support for the PSIDS, which has been met with many States within and outside the APAC region willing to contribute to the success of the initiative.
