November 7, 2012, Alexandria, VA, USA – A working group of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Safety Information Protection Task Force (SIP TF) announced today that it will be holding a listening session on 5 December 2012 in Washington, DC at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel starting at 9AM.
The ICAO SIP TF is charged with making findings and recommendations to improve ICAO standards, recommended practices, and guidance materials on the protection of safety information, and expects to conclude its work in the early part of 2013. The purpose of this listening session is to assist the SIP TF in its efforts to (1) understand the needs and perspectives of interested groups and individuals, and (2) identify a sound basis on which to consider approaches to balancing the protection of safety information with the administration of justice, safety-related regulatory action, and the public’s right to know.
Nancy Graham, Director of the ICAO Air Navigation Bureau, said, “We are eager to hear and learn from interested parties to understand how to better balance the protection of safety information with the administration of justice.”
“We are hoping to hear from a broad spectrum of representatives of plaintiffs’ lawyers, the defense bar, law enforcement and prosecutors, victims’ family groups, and others to improve our understanding of the challenges of safety information protection with a view to further enhancing the safety of the traveling public,” said Jonathan Aleck, Chair of the SIP TF.
Kenneth Quinn, the Vice Chair of the SIP TF, said, “We’ll do our best to accommodate anyone interested in this subject to summarize their views in brief oral statements during this listening session on December 5th and to provide us their written comments by December 15, 2012.”
This listening session is supported by the Flight Safety Foundation, the International Air & Transportation Safety Bar Association, the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Air & Space Law, and the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section’s Aviation and Space Law Committee.
To register or submit comments, contact Alison Agnew, [email protected], +1 202-663-8010.
Flight Safety Foundation (www.flightsafety.org) is an independent, non-profit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and publishing to improve aviation safety. The Foundation’s mission is to be the leading voice of safety for the global aerospace community.
