Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith on Thursday appealed for support for Jamaica, which is seeking a seat on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council.

Senator Johnson Smith, who was supported by Prime Minister Andrew Holness who spoke via a virtual link, and Transport and Mining Minister Audley Shaw, told the official launch of Jamaica’s candidature to the ICAO’s council at her ministry in downtown Kingston that Jamaica has demonstrated the competence, record and expertise to meet the demand of the role.

“My strong belief is that Jamaica will play a critical role in taking forward the vision and objectives of the ICAO,” she told the audience, which included a number of overseas guests aligned to regional civil aviation bodies.

She sees the candidature as an important one for Jamaica and noted that “we are all pleased to receive the endorsement of Caricom, and its full support as one of the eight candidates presented by Latin America and the Caribbean”.

“We recognise the essential contribution by international air transport to the national regional, global, economic and social development and, in particular, to the expansion of international trade. Indeed, Jamaica’s ability to participate in the movement of people and goods has been integral to the advancement of our international relationships and partnerships,” she told the meeting, while highlighting the role it plays in terms of Jamaica’s links with its diaspora.

Senator Johnson Smith said that it was the most opportune time for Jamaica’s candidature, when the ICAO General Assembly takes place in September, as the world seeks to reposition international aviation in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, with the gradual reopening of international borders and the relief to see the global aviation industry “recovering and ready to strive again”.

“Jamaica, in concert with all stakeholders, can play its part in the ICAO Council to forge innovative solutions to our common problems within the sector, and this will help us to explore and engage new opportunities in civil aviation for generations to come,” she remarked.

“As a representative of the small island developing states, we will be making strong representations as the world adapts to the changes in the air transport regulatory and operating environment and seek sustainable growth in the aviation industry,” she added.

Holness, meanwhile, assured the visitors that together the region was pursuing the current imperative of reconnecting the work to restore aviation recovery.

He said that with the support and representation that can be expected from Jamaica on the council, the industry can ensure continued and renewed facilitation of trade, improved living standards, tourism, poverty alleviation and rapid lifeline emergencies, as well as a lifeline for continued global development.

“Because of the vision for achieving sustainable and safe and efficient recovery and growth within the global civil aviation system, it is even more relevant now than at any previous time in the industry’s history,” Holness said.

“Jamaica is positioning itself to play an even more supportive and strategic role in the sustained development and strengthening of the air transport industry, and is prepared and ready for the responsibility of being a member of the ICAO council for 2022/25,” he argued.

According to Shaw, it was the “indomitable spirit” that now drives the Government to put forward its candidature for election to the ICAO Council.

“While the industry is faced with a myriad of challenges, Jamaica and the regional partners we seek to represent have remained united, strong and resilient, even with the closure of our borders during the peak of the pandemic,” Shaw said.

He noted that Jamaica remains committed to working with the ICAO and its other members states, and industry stakeholders to ensure that the rapid growth of the sector continues in a safe, secure and sustainable manner.

Other speakers yesterday included Director General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority Nari Williams Singh, who said that Jamaica is seized of the understanding that, based on the current air transport environment and the challenges, there is even greater need and room for closer, more multifaceted and multidimensional co-operation between states.

Williams-Singh, who presided over the ICAO’s General Assembly in 2019, pointed out that, from then, the support for Jamaica’s presence on the council had become evident.w