(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)  The Hon. Samuel Hinds, Prime Minister of Guyana will deliver the feature address and launch the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS) as a Community Institution at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat on Wednesday 4 February, 2009.

Other speakers at the function will be His Excellency Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of CARICOM and Mr. Anthony Archer, Outgoing Chairman, Regional Aviation Safety Oversight System (RASOS).

CASSOS, which replaces the Regional Aviation Safety Oversight System (RASOS), provides the platform for establishing a Regional Civil Aviation Authority. The primary objectives of CASSOS are to:

• assist States Parties in meeting their obligations as contracting States to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago, 1944) by achieving and maintaining full compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and recommended practices

• facilitate and promote the development and harmonization of civil aviation regulations, standards, practices and procedures amongst its States Parties consistent with the Annexes to the Chicago Convention

Under the Convention, contracting States have an obligation to collaborate to secure the highest practicable degree of uniformity in regulations, standards, procedures and organization in relation to aircraft, personnel, airways and auxiliary services towards improved air navigation.

The Board of CASSOS will report annually to the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), which may provide general or specific policy directions.

The launch will attract Directors of Civil Aviation from across the Caribbean Community as well as representative from several aviation and Government agencies including, regional airlines, CARICOM IMPACS, ICAO, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Security Administration (TSA) as well as the East African Community Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA).

Following the formal ceremony, there will be presentations from the outgoing representatives of RASOS, ICAO and the US FAA/TSA. The first ordinary meeting of the Board of Directors of CASSOS will then be convened at which the first Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Institution will be elected to serve for a period of two years.