Saif Al Suwaidi elected Chairman of ACAC

The General Assembly of ACAC announced the election of Al Suwaidi to the chair at the conclusion of its meeting at ACAC's headquarters in Morocco .

The UAE was re-elected as member to the Executive Council, which consists of seven members. In addition, the UAE was nominated on the Arab list to the elections of ICAO's Council to be held next September. 

Al Suwaidi, said: "The selection of UAE to chair the Executive Council of the Arab Civil Aviation Commission reflects an appreciation of the active role played by GCAA in promoting this vital sector in Arab countries.

"GCAA played a prominent role over the recent years in enhancing the reputation of Arab civil aviation industry in international bodies. We will continue to focus on establishing this role over the coming period using all our expertise and resources and sharing the same with Arab agencies. 

"As Chairman of the Council, we will build upon previous achievements and work towards the realisation of the objectives of ACAC, especially under the current circumstances of the industry, in order to give ACAC the chance to play the role for which it was established, namely to develop general planning of civil aviation among Arab countries and enhance cooperation and coordination between member states."

The chairman of ACAC's new Executive Council pointed out that the selection of UAE to chair the Executive Council took place after it was nominated, besides Tunisia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Morocco and Yemen, for the membership of the Council at the meeting of the General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco between 14-15 May. The Assembly resolved that the Executive Council shall consist of Jordan, UAE, Syria, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco and Yemen, with UAE, Qatar and Yemen winning most votes.

The selection was followed by the first meeting of the new Executive Council where Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi was elected Chairman and the representative of Yemen was elected as Vice Chairman.

The Executive Council is the board of directors of ACAC, which works towards the realisation of its objectives. It consists of seven members elected for two years by the General Assembly from nominees by member states, with each member having one vote. Members of the Executive Council shall be chairmen and directors-general of civil aviation or senior officials at civil aviation authorities in member states who have broad knowledge and experience in civil aviation. The Council shall elect from its members a Chairman and Vice Chairman for two years.

The Executive Council shall meet at least once every other year at ACAC's headquarters upon invitation by its chairman. Meetings can also take place in any member state upon invitation by such state. The Council may hold extra ordinary meetings upon request by any state member or the Director General of ACAC and with the approval of the majority of members. Such invitations shall set out the time and place of the meeting and its agenda. The meeting of the Executive Council shall be properly held if attended by the majority of its members. Recommendations and resolutions shall be issued by the votes of the majority of present members, in the presence of ACAC's Director General.

Above: Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi

Al Suwadi pointed out that in the context of its continued support of the Arab civil aviation industry, GCAA signed a memorandum of understanding with ACAC at the beginning of this year under which UAE will grant scholarships to member states of ACAC during the years 2010-2012 at qualified training centres in UAE, such as Dubai Civil Aviation Centre and Academy of Technical Training, in order to develop specialised human resources in civil aviation in Arab states.

The agreement provided that GCAA will cooperate with the General Department of Airports Security of Dubai Police and the Academy of Technical Training in providing specialised training courses aiming at scientific, technical and administrative qualification of member states of ACAC in order to keep pace with all developments in the changing civil aviation sector. The agreement falls within the framework of the shared strategic objective of supporting and developing civil aviation in the Arab region.

Al Suwaidi said: "Through this agreement, GCAA is transferring its experience in preparing and developing specialised human resources in civil aviation to member states of ACAC, which will have an active effect on increasing the base of specialised personnel in this field which is seeing increasing growth rates."