Virtual Meeting, September 08, 2021.- Based on the “Technical Assistance Agreement” CON-I-88 signed between the FAA and COCESNA, a meeting was held between the parties with the objective of carrying out a review of the activities carried out with the Member States; verify the current status of assistance, and receive information from the FAA on the next phases and activities.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Lou Álvarez, in charge of the technical assistance project on behalf of the FAA, Mr. Juan Carlos Trabanino Aguirre, Executive Director-CEO of COCESNA, Captain Alejandro Mena, Manager of ACSA and the Operations Specialist Mr. Frazier Rodriguez. COCESNA took the opportunity to thank the support and collaboration regarding the training that has been provided under the framework of the agreement to the personnel of COCESNA Member States and COCESNA/ACSA Specialists, which has been very beneficial and has generated great contributions in the improvement of the technical competences of the Inspectors of the Authorities of the region.
On the other hand, the importance and interest of the Member States in giving continuity and proceeding with the next phase of technical assistance was stressed, by assigning specialists that include FAA inspectors with experience in applying the best practices and standards in the approach of compliance with the requirements of Annexes 1, 6, and 8 as part of the agreement entered into between the parties.
The FAA mentioned that one of the main inputs to continue with the next phase of technical assistance was the completion and submission of the IASA checklists completed by each Member State and COCESNA/ACSA, indicating that since July it received all necessary and complete information. Likewise, it indicated that at present a team from the FAA is in the process of reviewing and analyzing the information provided to subsequently begin the next phase of assistance to the States.
Likewise, Mr. Álvarez stated that the FAA is very pleased that in the end, through the work carried out by COCESNA/ACSA, it was possible to integrate all the countries of the region to ensure that no country was left out of the technical assistance project under the framework of this agreement and stressed the work carried out by the State of Belize.
On the other hand, he thanked the provision of the ACSA facilities for his work team, and will request the permits internally to be able to travel to the Member States, indicating that there are great possibilities of extending the current agreement by the end of 2022