Zimbabwe Ratifies Key International Civil Aviation Conventions For Safer Skies

Zimbabwe has ratified and acceded to key international civil aviation conventions, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining safe and secure skies.

This development was confirmed by Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Felix Mhona, in a statement issued on Thursday, September 26. He said:

In line with Section 327 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde. Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa approved, by signing four instruments of ratification and accession relating to International Civil Aviation, for their deposition, following their approval by Parliament.

The deposition of the Instruments of Ratification and Accession was executed at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada on 29 August 2024.

The four instruments are the 1999 Montreal Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, the 2010 Beijing Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts relating to International Civil Aviation, the 2016 Montreal Protocol relating to an amendment of Articles 50(a) of the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, and the 2016 Montreal Protocol relating to an amendment of Articles 56 of the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation.

President Mnangagwa has acceded to the first two international instruments mentioned above and ratified the other two.

Accession refers to the process by which a state agrees to become a party to a treaty that has already been negotiated and signed by other states, thereby agreeing to abide by its terms without participating in the original negotiations.

In contrast, ratification is the formal approval of a treaty by a state after it has been signed by its representatives, indicating the state’s consent to be legally bound by the treaty’s provisions.

The 1999 Montreal Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air establishes a comprehensive framework for the liability of air carriers concerning accidents, delays, and loss or damage to baggage and cargo during international air travel. This Convention replaced the earlier Warsaw Convention system to enhance protections for passengers and shippers.

The 2010 Beijing Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts relating to International Civil Aviation aims to combat unlawful acts such as aircraft hijacking, sabotage, and other forms of violence against civil aviation.

The 2016 Montreal Protocol regarding an amendment of Article 50(a) of the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation was developed to revise the voting procedures of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council, specifically in relation to the adoption of certain decisions.

The other 2016 Montreal Protocol, which amends Article 56 of the 1944 Convention, pertains to the responsibilities of the ICAO regarding the safety and efficiency of international air navigation.

President Mnangagwa has signed the Instrument of Accession to the 2001 Cape Town Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment concerning aircraft equipment. Added Mhona:

The Instrument will be deposited with the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) in the Villa Aldobrandini in Rome, Italy.

The primary aim of the Protocol is to resolve the problem of obtaining certain and opposable rights to high-value aviation assets, namely airframes, aircraft engines and helicopters which, by their nature, have no fixed location.

This problem arises primarily from the fact that legal systems have different approaches to securities, title retention agreements and lease agreements, which creates uncertainty for lending institutions regarding the efficacy of their rights.

This hampers the provision of financing for such aviation assets and increases the borrowing cost.

Zimbabwe remains committed to the multilateral aviation system, within the administrative framework of the International Civil Aviation Organisation as governed by the regulatory framework of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

More: Pindula News