A contingent of directors general, state and other high-level representatives from the Central Caribbean, the United States and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), met at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, St Andrew, for the 14th Directors of Civil Aviation Meeting for the Central Caribbean from May 11-13.

The meeting took place as the global aviation community intensifies efforts to improve aviation safety and security, while implementing measures that will enhance environmental sustainability and the efficiency and capacity of regional air navigation.

It was hosted by the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) under the chairmanship of its director general, Nari Williams-Singh. It has historic significance as the first such meeting to be convened in Jamaica and reflects the country's strategic leadership and participatory roles in regional and global aviation fora, as well as its growing dominance as an aviation jurisdiction within the Caribbean. It also supports efforts under way to position Jamaica as a gateway and logistics hub of choice in the Southern Hemisphere.

While acknowledging the success of the region's collaborative efforts, which have resulted in high safety standards and an above-world-average effective implementation of the standards and recommended practices of the governing body for international civil aviation, ICAO, Dr Guy indicated that there can be "no hiatus" for civil aviation authorities or the industry players which regulate and operate the industry. He advocated that in a dynamic industry that demands the ultimate in versatility and performance, "success can never be retrospective, but forward-looking", he said.

Williams-Singh chaired the meeting which ended with the adoption of a resolution and action plan for implementing established strategies in a variety of areas. These include aviation safety management; the implementation of air navigation under the regional performance-based air navigation plan, aviation security and facilitation activities in the North American and Caribbean Regions, and the collaborative arrangement for the prevention and management of public-health events in civil aviation.