That Was The Week That Was 27 September – 01 October

Written by Aviation Advocacy on 3 October 2021. Posted in TWTWTW

The Goal of Sustainable Laughter           

There is a famous old joke about the Papal Nuncio rushing into the Pope’s office, and yelling that Jesus Christ could be seen walking through St Peter’s Square.  ‘What are we going to do?’ he pleaded to the Pope.  His Holiness picked up his pen, pulls a piece of paper towards himself, looks down and says ‘Look busy.’  It is always good advice. 

Not for a minute suggesting there are like-for-like parallels with any of the above characters and the Sustainable Development Goals and ICAO, but the advice of looking busy did come to mind this week, in the week that was, reading the latest Uniting Aviation publication from the new and very busy looking ICAO publications unit.  If you do not subscribe, it is always entertaining. 

This month, there is a long update on just how ICAO contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.  You may recall those goals – there are 17 – established after the success of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, established in 2000.  There were eight MDGs.  The SDGs include such things as ending poverty, clean water and sanitation for all, zero hunger, gender equality and so on.  All are of course goals that we must strive to achieve, but each of us will have to do so in our own way.  It is clear that UNICEF, for example, will play, and indeed is playing, a huge role in a number of these goals.  The WHO has a clear role too.  Indeed, it is possible to go through most of the UN agencies and see that there are specific target SDGs on which they must focus.

And then we get to ICAO.  What is a poor UN agency to do when asked to contribute to things with which it has zero connection?  ICAO would seem to have had two options.  The first, of course, was to say that we support the intent, and are happy to facilitate meetings to make them happen, but hunger, childhood and maternal health, sanitation and better health outcomes are somewhat out of scope.  Or, you can try to look busy.

Guess which option the gurus at ICAO strategy centrale took?  The second one; obviously.  I do commend their attempt to justify their contribution to you.   

Sustainable laughter is a completely commendable goal and the good folk at ICAO are to be applauded for their efforts.  We, and the world, salute you.