Gov’t backs Taiwan’s bid to join ICAO
Published:Thursday | May 14, 2020 | 12:16 AM
CASTRIES (CMC):
The St Lucia government Tuesday said that it remains committed to supporting Taiwan’s bid to become a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) after expressing concern that the Asian country remains absent from certain global regulatory mechanisms, and organisations can create a huge gap in international cooperation.
In a statement, the Ministry of Economic Development said that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the “glaring importance of the participation of Taiwan and the fact that ICAO’s work responding to future aviation challenges will be more effective if it incorporates input from countries with such a major and strategic role in global aviation, as well as valuable experience in managing pandemics like SARS and COVID 19”.
China has long regarded Taiwan as a renegade province and has urged countries to recognise its One China policy.
St Lucia is among a handful of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries with diplomatic relations with Taipei, and Castries said that as ICAO works to address emerging challenges in the management of new aircraft types, the projected doubling of global flight volumes by 2030, carbon emissions, cybersecurity, and other fields, “it will be necessary to have comprehensive reference data as well as input from all stakeholders worldwide.
“By including all active members of the international aviation community in these efforts, we can ensure a higher quality standard-setting process that better promotes implementation of regulations on aviation safety and sustainable development.”
St Lucia said that ICAO has established five strategic goals in the areas of safety, security, air navigation, economic development, and environmental protection.
“We believe that these overarching goals can only be achieved when all governments and stakeholders are included in cooperation within ICAO. Therefore, we call upon ICAO to accept the participation of all active members of the international aviation community, and to ensure that all parties have access to the latest information so we can work together effectively to safeguard our shared skies.”