Mr. Raymond Benjamin -Secretary General of the International
Civil Aviation Organization - Interview
Aleksander ČIČEROV
Ventil: Mr. Raymond Benjamin has been Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) since August 2009. The Council of ICAO appointed Mr. Benjamin as Secretary of the Organization for a second three-year term, from 1s' August 2012 to 31s' July 2015. His extensive career in civil aviation spans more than 30 years. It includes 13 years as Executive Secretary of the European Civil Aviation Conference where he was responsible for the development of policy advice and strategic options to the President and to the 42 Member States of the Conference. Mr. Benjamin was Chief of the Aviation Security Branch of the Air Transport Bureau of ICAO from 1989 to 1994. He also served as Air Transport Officer and Deputy Secretary of ECAC from 1982 to 1989, and held various positions in the Civil Aviation Administration of France. He holds a Master's degree in Public Law, and Diplomas from the Institute of Political Studies and the Institute of Higher International Studies, Paris. Mr. Benjamin is a French citizen, born on 24th November 1945 in Alexandria, Egypt.
(Translation) Raymond Benjamin1 je bil generalni tajnik ICAO od avgusta 2009 do avgusta 2012. Svet ICAO ga je imenoval za generalnega tajnika ICAO še za drugi triletni mandat od 1. avgusta 2012 do 31. julija 2015.2 Že več kot 30 let je intenzivno vključen v mednarodno civilno letalstvo. Med drugim je bil 13 let izvršni sekretar Evropske organizacije civilnega letalstva s sedežem v Parizu (ECAC), kjer je bil predvsem odgovoren za varnost, varovanje in okolje, nadzoroval je tudi včlanjevanje novih članic ter bil opazovalec v odboru EU za urejanje varnosti civilnega letalstva.3 Preden se je priključil ECAC, je bil vodja podružnice za letalsko varnost Urada za zračni transport ICAO (1989-1994). Odgovoren je bil za pripravo nasvetov generalnemu tajniku in predsedniku sveta ICAO glede politike varovanja civilnega letalstva in razvoj ocenjevanja mednarodnih letališč ter programov za tehnično pomoč državam članicam ICAO. Od 1982 do 1989 je služboval kot uradnik za letalski transport in kot namestnik tajnika ECAC, prav tako pa je opravljal številne naloge v francoski upravi civilnega letalstva (1973-1982). Raymond Benjamin je magister mednarodnega prava in diplomant Inštituta za politične študije ter Inštituta za mednarodne študije v Parizu.4 Rojen je bil 24. novembra 1945 v Aleksandriji (Egipt), je francoski državljan, govori francosko in angleško.
Gospod R. Benjamin nam je ljubeznivo odgovoril na naslednja vprašanja:
Ventil: How influential is the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) today?
R. Benjamin: ICAO currently has 191 Member States and our Standards and Recommended Practices remain essential in support of State regulatory frameworks which are sufficiently harmonized to ensure the
safety and efficiency of our network worldwide. We have also recently completed revisions to two highly influential Global Plans for Safety and Air Navigation which will be guiding coordinated global progress in these two areas through to 2028.
States also increasingly look to our Organization to provide practical
assistance and capacity-building, in addition to a stronger focus on training provision, in order to better support their efforts to comply with our norms. In the environmental domain, we have a significant global challenge before us, and ICAO was tasked with managing related developments and targets applicable to the international air transport sector.
The questions, footnotes and summaries have been prepared by Mr. Aleksander Čičerov, LLM. (trans.: Vprašanja, opombe in povzetke intervjuja je pripravil mag. Aleksander Čičerov, univ. dipl. prav).
The author of this interview met with Mr. Raymond Benjamin very often during the period from 1994 to 2007. Mr. Benjamin was deputy Secretary of ECAC, Mr. Čičerov was participating in WG of ECAC as the Slovenian Ministry of Transport and Communications' s representative. Later on, they met in the ICAO as well. (trans.: Avtor intervjuja se je z g. R. Benjaminom pogosto srečeval v obdobju 1994-2007. Takrat je bil R. Benjamin namestnik sekretarja ECAC, A. Čičerov pa je sodeloval v delovnih skupinah ECAC kot predstavnik Ministrstva za promet in zveze RS, pozneje pa sta se srečevala kot predstavnika ICAO oz. Ministrstva za zunanje zadeve RS.)
Njegove strokovne prispevke si lahko ogledate na http://legacy.icao.int/icao/en/osg/benjamin_bio.htm, <31.3.2014>. (Trans.: See his articles at http://legacy.icao.int/icao/en/osg/benjamin_bio.htm)
Predsednik sveta ICAO Roberto Kobeh Gonzales je ob ponovni izvolitvi R. Benjamina dejal: »Vesel sem, da bo ICAO in mednarodno civilno letalstvo tudi v naslednjih treh letih črpalo iz njegovega razsodnega vodenja.«
(trans.: The President of the Council of the ICAO, Mr. Robert Kobeh Gonzales, said: »I am, therefore, very pleased to confirm that ICAO and international civil aviation as a whole will continue to benefit from his judicious leadership for the next three years.« http://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/Raymond-Benjamin-appointed-secretary-general-of-ICAO-for-a-second-term.aspx, 31. 3. 2014.)
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Mr. Rajmond Benjamin, Secretary General of ICAO
We also regularly conduct high-level conferences and seminars in order to bring our global community together and agree on the strategic courses to guide our respective efforts in a coordinated manner that minimizes public expenditures and duplication of effort. This is true not only in our technical areas of activity, but also in terms of the policy frameworks which support the economic development and sustainabi-lity of air transport service provision.
These are just a very few examples of how we establish our relevancy and deliver practical value to the States and stakeholders who count on us. In summary, I would stress that air transport has always been looked to as a promoter of greater social and economic development wherever aircraft could fly, and that today the ability of a safe and efficient air transport network to expand market access, connect people and businesses, and in a general sense bring increased prosperity everywhere in the world, has never been more important.
Povzetek: Na vprašanje, kako vplivna je ICAO danes, je generalni tajnik opozoril najprej na dejstvo, da je ICAO skoraj univerzalna organizacija, ki šteje 191 držav članic, njeni standardi in priporočene
prakse (SARPs) pa ostajajo učinkovit okvir, ki državam članicam omogoča harmonizacjo standardov za varnost civilnega letalstva po vsem svetu. ICAO pomeni za države članice pomoč pri usposobljenosti in še posebej pri izobraževanju, kar vodi do ustreznejšega izvajanja norm mednarodnega civilnega letalstva. Varstvo okolja pomeni za ICAO velik izziv in tu bo potrebno še veliko storiti. S pomočjo rednih konferenc in seminarjev ICAO povezuje mednarodno civilno letalstvo in se dogovarja o strateških usmeritvah na podlagi koordinacij, kar vse zmanjšuje stroške in odpravlja podvajanje. To velja tudi za tehnično stran njenega delovanja in za politiko, ki podpira gospodarski razvoj in trajnostno urejenost storitev zračnega prevoza. Po menju generalnega tajnika ICAO je zračni prevoz vedno štel med spodbujevalce družbenega in gospodarskega razvoja, kamor koli je posamezno letalo priletelo. Tako je tudi danes, saj redno in učinkovito omrežje zračnega prevoza povečuje dostop do trga(ov), povezuje ljudi in gospodarstva in, obče gledano, svetu prinaša blaginjo.
Ventil: How secure is international aviation today?
R. Benjamin: International aviation today is more secure than it has ever been, largely as a result of the
tightened measures established by many States after 9/11. ICAO's work has also contributed to this strengthened framework, and I would stress in this regard the Declaration on Aviation Security which was agreed to by our 191 Member States at the 37th Assembly in 2010, our specific work in modernizing and increasing global adherence to a more robust, machine-readable passport compliance framework, the aviation security assistance, capacity-building and training offerings we have coordinated in recent years, as well as our auditing of States' implementation of the critical elements of an aviation security oversight system and the security-related ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), associated procedures, guidance material and security-related practices.
I would also stress here, however, that our most recent 38th Assembly in 2013 also agreed that we should henceforth pursue a joint Strategic Objective which is inclusive of both Security and Facilitation, a move which largely acknowledges that aviation must constantly encourage and support greater connectivity and throughput for the passengers and businesses we serve, and that our future AVSEC solutions should seek to improve security while not adversely delaying the traffic our system manages. In 2013, some 3.1 billion passengers travelled by air and our network carried 50 million tonnes of air cargo which represented one-third of the value of all international trade.
In endorsing this Objective then, the 38th Assembly confirmed ICAO's emphasis on achieving greater balance between effective control measures and system-wide connectivity and efficiency. Risk-management-based prioritization, something which will be essential to realizing initiatives such as the joint IATA-ACI 'Smart Security' programme or ICAO's related work to streamline air cargo shipments, is also now a foundatio-nal aspect of our work in this area.
Povzetek: Mednarodno civilno letalstvo je danes varnejše, kot je bilo kdaj koli. K temu so pripomogli ukrepi, sprejeti po 11. septembru 2001. V
tem kontekstu je potrebno omeniti Deklaracijo o letalski varnosti, ki so jo države članice ICAO sprejele na 37. zasedanju skupščine ICAO leta 2010. K varstvu civilnega letalstva prispevajo tudi napori, povezani z novimi napravami za strojno branje potnih listov, pomoč pri zagotavljanju letalske varnosti, usposabljanje in izpopolnjevanje, pregled implementacije ključnih elemetov letalske varnosti držav članic ICAO, varnostni standardi ICAO, priporočena praksa, usklajevanje postopkov, usmerjevalna gradiva in praksa, povezana z varnostjo civilnega letalstva.
Še posebej, poudarja generalni tajnik ICAO, je potrebno omeniti 38. zasedanje skupščine ICAO, na katerem so se države članice dogovorile, da bodo zasledovale skupne strateške cilje, ki vsebujejo varnost in olajšave, ki naj skupaj hrabre in podpirajo povezanost tako letalskih potnikov kot gospodarstva. Izboljšave letalske varnosti ne bi smele imeti negativnih učinkov na letalski promet. V preteklem letu je 3,1 milijarde potnikov potovalo z letali, prepeljanih je bilo 50 milijonov ton tovora. K temu je potrebno dodati še pobudo IATA--ACI (Pametna varnost in ICAO) o usmerjanju pošiljk letalskega tovora.
Ventil: The Secretariat of ICAO counts as one of the principal organs of the Organization. In the Chicago Convention, on the basis of which the ICAO was formed, there is no such designation and the word Secretariat is not used. Please describe the Secretariat's role, functions and influence on ICAO's organs.
R. Benjamin: Article 54 h) of the Chicago Convention institutes a chief executive officer "who shall be called the Secretary General,^." and includes a general provision to other personnel as may be necessary,^"; this constitutes the Secretariat.
The Secretariat consists of five main divisions: the Air Navigation Bureau, the Air Transport Bureau, the
ICAO' seat in Montreal
Technical Co-operation Bureau, the Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau, and the Bureau of Administration and Services. It is instrumental in supporting the work and decisions of our Governing Council and ultimate Governing Body, the triennial ICAO Assembly.
Based on Council and Assembly decisions, the five Bureaus develop work programmes, convene technical Task Forces and Working Groups on new or amended ICAO provisions, conduct seminars and conferences either at ICAO or amongst our global regions, and pursue many additional policies and other initiatives which support our States in complying with ICAO's SARPs. The Secretariat also manages the administrative, legal and technical aspects required for our Organization to function as an advanced modern agency.
Povzetek: Tajništvo predstavlja enega od glavnih organov ICAO. Čeprav ga Čikaška konvencija1 ne omenja, nas zanima vloga tajništva, njegove funkcije ter vpliv na druge organe ICAO. V odgovoru je generalni tajnik ICAO opozoril na (h) odstavek 54. člena Čikaške konvencije, ki določa, da svet ICAO imenuje izvršnega uslužbenca, ki
se bo imenoval generalni tajnik, in drugo potrebno osebje. Vse to skupaj tvori tajništvo ICAO. Sestavlja ga pet glavnih uradov: Urad za zračno plovbo, Urad za zračni prevoz, Urad za tehnično sodelovanje, Urad za pravne zadeve in Urad za zunanje odnose. Tajništvo pomaga pri delu in odločanju sveta ICAO in je vodilno telo pri skupščini vsaka tri leta. Uradi delujejo v skladu z odločitvami sveta in skupščine ICAO, razvijajo delovne programe, sklicujejo tehnične delovne skupine, vodijo seminarje in konference na sedežu ICAO v Montrealu ali v njenih regionalnih centrih ter spodbujajo dodatne ukrepe in pobude, ki služijo državam članicam, da se uskladijo s standardi ICAO in priporočeno prakso (SARPs). Tajništvo seveda opravlja tudi administrativne, pravne in tehnične naloge, kijih potrebuje ICAO, da bi delovalo kot moderna mednarodna agencija.
Ventil: Please specify the role of the Secretary General of ICAO with respect to the President of the Council.
R. Benjamin: The President of the Council is the highest-level political official in ICAO. He is selected from amongst candidates nominated by member States and presides over
5 Gre za Konvencijo o mednarodnem civilnem letalstvu; posodobljeno Čikaško konvencijo je izdala Fakulteta za strojništvo leta 2011. Spremembe je zbral, uredil in posodobil mag. Aleksander Čičerov.
(trans.: International Civil Aviation Convention, updated and issued b^ the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and prepared b^ Mr. Aleksander Čičerov, 2001.)
the Governing Body, the ICAO Council and in particular establishes its work programme.
The Secretary General of ICAO is head of the Secretariat and chief executive officer of the Organization. The Secretary General provides leadership to a specialized international staff working in the field of international civil aviation and serves as the Secretary of the Council of ICAO and is responsible to the Council as a whole. Following established policies, he or she carries out the duties assigned by the Council and makes periodic reports to the Council covering the progress of the Secretariat's activities in support of its decisions.
Povzetek: Zanimalo nas je, v kakšnem odnosu sta predsednik sveta ICAO in generalni tajnik. G. R. Benjamin je v odgovoru pojasnil, da je predsednik sveta ICAO izbran izmed kandidatov, ki jih nominirajo države članice ICAO. Svet ICAO ga izvoli za tri leta in je lahko ponovno izvoljen. Sklicuje seje sveta ICAO, odbora za zračni prevoz in komisije za zračno plovbo, deluje kot predstavnik sveta in v imenu sveta ICAO izpolnjuje naloge, ki mu jih ta naloži. Pripravlja tudi delovni program sveta. Tajnik ICAO je vodja tajništva in glavni izvršni uradnik ICAO. Vodi in je odgovoren za specializirano mednarodno osebje, ki dela na področju mednarodnega civilnega letalstva in opravlja naloge tajnika sveta ICAO, ki mu je odgovoren za svoje delo. Naloge izvršuje skladno s sprejeto politiko, ki jo je določil svet ICAO, pripravlja občasna poročila svetu z oceno napredka in podpore odločitvam sveta.
ICAO realised 9/11 was the most serious crisis she had ever faced
The office also directly oversees the roles and responsibilities of the ICAO Finance Branch, the Evaluation and Internal Audit Office, the ICAO Communications Section, the Ethics Officer, and most recently a newly-established Global Aviation Training Office. In all there are 62 employees in these combined areas under the direct supervision of the OSG. The Secretary General is also responsible for the operation of the seven Regional Offices whose Regional Directors report directly to the Secretary General.
Ventil: What is the internal organization of the Secretary General's Office? How many employees are there and what kind of formation is needed?
R. Benjamin: The Office of the Secretary General (OSG) directly includes the Secretary General, a Direc-teur de Cabinet, a Personal Assistant and an administrative assistant.
Povzetek: Zanimalo nas je, kako je organiziran urad generalnega tajnika, koliko je zaposlenih in kakšno izobrazbo imajo. Urad sestavljajo generalni tajnik, vodja kabineta in osebni ter upravni pomočnik. Urad neposredno nadzoruje delo in izvajanje nalog finančne službe, službe za interni nadzor, oddelka za komuniciranje ICAO, uslužbenca za etiko, po novem pa tudi službe za celovito letalsko izobraževanje. Urad zaposluje 62 ljudi, ki so neposredno odgovorni generalnemu tajniku. Ta prav tako odgovarja za sedem regionalnih uradov po vsem svetu, ki jih vodijo regionalni direktorji, ki so mu podrejeni.
Ventil: Mr. Raymond Benjamin, you have been recently appointed as Secretary General for a second three-year term (2012-2015). How close are we to a more proactive, effective and efficient global aviation framework?
R. Benjamin: The goal of a more proactive, effective and efficient global aviation framework is not a static target. Our global sector is one which is in constant change and ICAO's mission and role largely surrounds managing that change and optimizing the air transport network's proactive, effective and efficient aspects as we do.
It is ICAO's view that our greatest priorities on a sector-wide basis over the coming triennium, and indeed over the coming decades, virtually all derive from how aviation must evolve in order to manage the doubling of our network's capacity now being projected through 2030. All of the air transport community's shared future goals, whether tactical or strategic, political or economic, will be magnified significantly by this expansion.
So too will the implications of the actions we take to address near-and longer-term connectivity challenges in terms of increased airspace and airport congestion and the risk to the safety and efficiency of air transport operations in general; the need to balance stringent security measures with facilitation; and growing environmental pressures relating to greenhouse gas emissions, local air quality and noise around airports.
There will also be a need for massive investments in airport development, air navigation systems
1: 4 model Pipistrel's aircraft Taurus G4 hangs in the central hall of the ICAO seat
and related infrastructure in order to effectively cope with the coming doubling of passengers and aircraft movements. Let me additionally underscore in this regard that we must find ways of ensuring the long-term economic viability of airports, airlines and other operators by coming to better grips with issues such as market access, air carrier ownership and control, fair and equitable competition, minimized taxes and levies, and rationalized consumer protection regimes.
Then there is the potential, even dramatic shortage of pilots, mechanics and air traffic controllers we will soon be facing, as well as the equivalent requirement to accelerate training and certification for these aviation professionals and the subsequent need for new managers to lead them.
Furthermore, the expected rapid evolution in new technological advancements, and their application across all air transport domains, will remain a dynamic challenge for both regulators and operators in the years to come.
Povzetek: Ob zaključku intervjuja nas je zanimalo, kako blizu je ICAO učinkovitemu, aktivnemu in uspešnemu globalnemu letalskemu okviru. G. Benjamin ima še dobro leto mandata in njegov odgovor je, da je cilj, ki smo ga postavili kot vprašanje, premična tarča. ICAO spremlja razvoj mednarodnega letalstva in poskuša svojo vlogo prilagoditi temu razvoju in novim spoznanjem. Vsi napori ICAO so usmerjeni v triletno obdobje (20122015), v katerem se bodo svetovne letalske kapacitete podvojile, kar pomeni, da se morajo temu prilagoditi tudi taktika, strategija, poli-
tika in ekononnski cilji ICAO. Vse to bo izzvalo prenapolnjenost zračnega prostora, letališč, povečanje tveganj glede varnosti mednarodnega civilnega letalstva, letalskih operacij, potreb po uravnoteženju strogih varnostnih ukrepov in olajšav za potnike, tu so okoljevarstveni pritiski, učinki tople grede, pritiski glede lokalnega onesnaževanja zraka in povečanja hrupa okrog letališč. Ne bo se mogoče izogniti občutnim vlaganjem v razvoj letališč, letalskih navigacijskih sistemov in z njimi povezane infrastrukture, da bi se lahko spopadli s podvojenim številom letalskih potnikov in premiki letal. Ob tem g. Benjamin poudarja, da je potrebno na daljši rok zagotoviti ekonomsko stabilnost letališč, letalskih družb in drugih operaterjev, da se uspešno spoprimejo z dostopi do letalskih trgov, lastništvom letalskih družb, pravično in pošteno konkurenco, zmanjševanjem taks in prispevkov in režimi varstva potrošnikov. V prihodnjih letih bo primanjkovalo pilotov, letalskih mehanikov, zračnih kontrolorjev, težko bo pospešiti njihovo izobraževanje in usposabljanje ter certificiranje ob hkratnem pomanjkanju mene-džerjev, ki bi jih lahko vodili. Hiter razvoj in nove tehnologije ostajajo dinamičen izziv tako za regulatorje kot operaterje v mednarodnem civilnem letalstvu.
Ventil: Dear Mr. Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General of ICAO, we wish you all the best in the years ahead and we sincerely thank you for your valuable answers.
Aleksander Čičerov, LLM, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
POSVET
AVTOMATIZACIJA STREGE IN MONTAŽE 2014 ■ ASM' 14
3. decembra 2014