USTDA grant to support aviation safety in Ukraine (10/30/05)

USTDA grant to support aviation safety in Ukraine

Embassy of the United States

KYIV - U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst and First Deputy Chairman Anatolii Kolisnyk of the State Administration of Ukraine for Aviation Safety Oversight on September 27 signed a grant agreement with the goal of improving aviation safety in Ukraine.

The $625,000 grant from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will be used to fund technical assistance to improve aviation safety oversight functions in Ukraine to meet international standards. The State Aviation Administration selected Robinson Aviation Inc. of Arlington, Va., to provide the technical assistance.

"An internationally recognized and professional aviation regulatory system is vital not only for passenger safety," Ambassador Herbst said at the signing ceremony. "As Ukraine continues its transition to a more market-oriented economy, a viable and dynamic air transportation system is vital to the country's economic well-being and growth."

To this end, the USTDA-funded technical assistance seeks to enhance the safety posture of the Ukrainian aviation regulatory regime by helping transform the civil aviation authority into an organization that meets international standards by assuring the flying public that its national air transportation is safe and secure.

Specifically, the technical assistance program will evaluate the current status of Ukraine's civil aviation safety regulatory system, in both structure and operation, in light of the Ukrainian government's obligations in the International Civil Aviation Organization. In addition, it will include the preparation of an action plan to address regulatory, staffing, organizational and technical issues that the overall evaluation identifies.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure, and a fair and open trading environment.

USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policies and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA emphasizes economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services. Since 1992 USTDA has allocated more than $11 million to Ukraine, of which almost $10 million were grants for feasibility studies.

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