The General Assembly of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization, chaired by the Republic of Lebanon in its current twenty-sixth ordinary session, which was held on 01 and 02 July in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco,

Based on the charter of the League of Arab States and the pivotal role it aspires to, especially in terms of encouraging Arab-Arab cooperation through a group of specialized organizations formed at various levels within and outside the framework of the League,

Emphasizing the main role for which the Arab Civil Aviation Organization was established, as a specialized Arab organization in the League of Arab States that aims to strengthen cooperation and coordination between Arab countries in the field of civil aviation and its development, while laying the foundations for standardization, responding to the needs of the Arab nation for safe, sound and regular air transport,

Reaffirming the commitment of member states to the principles and objectives enshrined in the agreement establishing the organization and its strategic plan, in particular the relevant roles aimed at reinforcing and strengthening the bonds of unity and solidarity among member states, while defending their general interests and establishing coordination among themselves and with international organizations and regional blocs;

Guided by the values ​​of unity and brotherhood promoted by our religion, and stressing the necessity of strengthening and consolidating the bonds of unity and solidarity among Member States to secure their common interests on the international arena,

Deeply concerned by the epidemic caused by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), which has hitherto affected all countries and regions of the world and has had devastating global impacts and posed unprecedented challenges,

Expressing its full and deep sympathy towards the loss of human lives caused by the pandemic, and its negative effects on all economic sectors, in particular the air transport sector in the Arab world,

Having carefully reviewed the current alarming situation at the global level, and in particular the situation in the member states of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization due to the spread of the new Corona virus and the efforts made to address it:

Acknowledges that the emerging coronavirus pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge to the member states of the organization and to the world at large, that has requested immediate and decisive measures at the organization level and at the national, regional and international levels to protect the sector.

Emphasizes the importance of the civil aviation sector in achieving the sustainable development goals as defined by the United Nations.

Recognizes that no country alone can address the multifaceted effects and challenges posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic;

Commends the tireless efforts made by Arab countries in various sectors involved in confronting this pandemic, and stressed the necessity of pursuing those efforts.

Calls upon the Arab countries to continue to communicate and coordinate with the relevant health authorities for the dissemination of the standards upon which their travel procedures are based during the COVID19 pandemic, which take into account the CART guidelines, while working on the mutual recognition of health certificates with other countries and/or groups of countries.

Urges the lifting of travel restrictions, taking into account the various risk-based guidelines issued by the World Health Organization, regarding health measures related to international traffic, including clear recommendations on testing or vaccination approaches while avoiding quarantine measures for travelers, and taking into account recent developments in terms of dissemination of COVID-19 vaccines and the secured immunity  from previous infection.

Calls for entering into direct talks with states or unions of states, in order to reach a mutual recognition of vaccination certificates.

Requires reliance on public health corridors as a temporary solution for countries that agree on mutual standards of travel and health measures, yet emphasizing that air services operations between those countries should be based on existing agreed air transportation arrangements.

Requests that the statement issued by it be referred to the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in order to kindly submit it to all relevant Arab ministerial councils (transport, tourism and health).