25th Meeting of the Special Committee for Transport

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 13^th October, 2016- The Association of Caribbean States (ACS), through its Directorate of Transport, convened the 25^th Meeting of the Special Committee for Transport on 14^th October 2016 at the ACS Secretariat in Port of Spain.

The Meeting provided updates on initiatives undertaken by the Directorate under the Plan of Action Pétion Ville 2013-2015 and the Plan of Action of Havana 2016-2018; which will guide the Work of the Directorate over the next biennium. The report of the Directorate focused on activities completed over the past year, cooperative efforts and on-going projects, as well as introduces new initiatives. This report was delivered by Mr Arturo López-Portillo, ACS Director of Transport and Disaster Risk Reduction. Director López-Portillo also presented the Directorate’s Work Programme for the period 2017-2018.

Opening remarks were delivered by the Honourable Fitzgerald Hinds, Minister of Works and Transport of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as by the Secretary General of the ACS, Her Excellency Dr. June Soomer as well as by the Chair of the Special Committee for Transport, Ambassador His Excellency David Prendergast. The presentation of activities under the Directorate of Transport included a report on the progress made on the project “Maps of Maritime Routes of the Greater Caribbean,” which was presented by the Central American Commission on Maritime Transport (COCATRAM). This project seeks to update the database of maritime shipping routes within the Greater Caribbean Region, as well as to conduct research and analysis on the various active maritime routes. This map allows exporters, importers, vendors or buyers, both internationally and regionally to know when, how, through which operators and under what conditions they may transport their goods. This project is now in its 4^th Phase and remains free of charge for agencies of Member States to use, once registered.

Representatives from organisations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as well as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), presented on its current and future work within the Greater Caribbean Region. The Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS) presented on the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with the Central American Cooperation for Air Navigation Services (COCESNA) signed on June 1^st 2016 in Jamaica.

 The Meeting welcomed participants from ACS Members, Associate Members and Observer Countries. Representatives from regional and international organisations and institutions such as the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Maritime Authority of Panama (AMP), the Ministry of Public Utilities, Civil Aviation and Transportation of Antigua and Barbuda, the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority, the Ministry of Works and Transport of Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) were in attendance.

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 For further information, please contact:

Kia Jaikaran

Unit Assistant, Communications

Association of Caribbean States

E-mail: communications@acs-aec.org

Tel: 1-868-622-9575 EXT. 231

Fax: 1-868-622-1653