Monday, 28 November to Friday, 2 December 2022 

Holiday Inn, Port Vila, Vanuatu

VANUATU: Pacific civil aviation officials are converging on Port Vila for the Pacific Aviation Safety Office’s (PASO) upcoming ‘PASO Council Week’ from Monday, 28 November to progress regional aviation initiatives to strengthen Pacific aviation safety and security.

PASO and the Government of Vanuatu will host the PASO Council of Directors which also includes Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu, along with the World Bank and the United States of America.

This is the first-time aviation officials are meeting face-to-face to progress regional aviation matters since the last PASO Council of Directors meeting in Vanuatu in November 2019, due to COVID-19 impacts on international travel required meetings to be conducted virtually.

The program for the PASO Council Week includes:

• a two-day governance and strategy workshop delivered by the New Zealand Institute of Directors;
• a senior aviation officials’ meeting to progress the continued transformation of regional aviation including arrangements for the next Regional Aviation Minister Meeting (RAMM3), amendments to the Pacific Island Civil Aviation Safety and Security Treaty (PICASST), and to progress the implementation phase of the Pacific Regional Aviation Strategy;
• a World Bank PASO Reform Project completion workshop to reflect on the achievements of the eight-year strategic partnership and determine future arrangements;
• a PASO Council of Directors meeting to progress PASO’s business objectives, including setting PASO’s strategic direction for the next ten-years with the new PASO Strategic Plan 2023 – 2032 and 2023 Business Plan;
• a formal dinner hosted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu; and
• bilateral meetings with PASO to support Member State’s aviation priorities.

“We look forward to welcoming the PASO Council to Vanuatu after a three-year forced break. The week provides a good opportunity for continued dialogue and engagement to assess the achievements of PASO’s business objectives as well as continue discussions on strategic goals, priorities, and expected results of our efforts, so we can further strengthen aviation safety and security in the region,” said PASO’s General Manager, Mr. Andrew Valentine.

PASO is the sole Pacific regional ‘CROP’ organisation headquartered in Vanuatu, and provides quality regulatory aviation safety and security oversight services to support Members to deliver their international aviation regulatory obligations as per the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO Convention).

ENDS – 374 words