Feature Company

Interview with Rod Heitmeyer, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)

August 2008

FB

Can you please provide our readers with a brief background of the ICAO?

Rod Heitmeyer

ICAO was established in 1944 with the signing of the International Convention on International Civil Aviation, ICAO’s charter, known as the Chicago Convention. ICAO is the UN specialized agency for International Civil Aviation. It has 190 Member States and its headquarters are in Montreal. It has Regional Offices in Mexico City, Lima, Paris, Dakar, Nairobi, Cairo and Bangkok.

ICAO’s mandate is to ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation throughout the world. ICAO has established a solid worldwide regulatory structure, which primarily consists of the Standards and Recommended practices (SARPS) in the 18 Annexes to the Convention which cover all technical and operational aspects of air transport. These are reviewed and updated regularly in response to technological advances in all areas.

The implementation of these Standards and Recommended Practices is the individual and collective responsibility of the Member States. This has resulted in a high level of standardization and harmonization throughout the global air transport system.

Included in the 18 ICAO Annexes are Annex 9 on Facilitation which includes MRTDs and Annex 17 on Security.

FB

MRTDs are developed with the assistance of ICAO’s Technical Advisory Group on Machine Readable Travel Documents (TAG-MRTD) with technical and engineering input from ISO Working Group 3 (ISO/IEC JTC/SC17/WG3). Can you please tell us more about this?

Rod Heitmeyer

The TAG-MRTD is responsible for the development and adoption of standard MRTD specifications in ICAO Doc 9303 for approval by the Air Transport Committee of the ICAO Council. It is also responsible for Supplements to Doc 9303, guidance material and Technical Reports to inform States and the industry of present and future developments.

The TAG-MRTD’s New Technologies Working Group (NTWG) is responsible for the development of standards using advanced technologies in travel documents and related systems to facilitate international travel while maintaining appropriate levels of security. The extensive work of the NTWG for the TAG-MRTD is carried out with the active participation of ISO WG3 and its five task forces.

ICAO and ISO work together on MRTDs through a special mechanism of cooperation established by the two organizations in 1989 which provides for the endorsement of Doc.9303 specifications as ISO Standards on a fast track basis through ISO WG3 which reports to ISO/IEC JT1/SC17. ISO WG3 participates in the work of the TAG-MRTD and NTWG.

The ICAO team of dedicated experts has produced amazing productive results in continuously advancing MRTDs and related systems, contributing to improved security and facilitation.

FB

What are some of the major benefits in standardizing travel document formats?

Rod Heitmeyer

Standardization is essential to the global interoperability of MRTDs. It allows all countries passports and other travel documents to be examined and their integrity established by both visual examination and machine reading, including the checking of biometrics with the new eMRTDs. It greatly facilitates checking the identity and nationality of the person presenting the document, improves the quality of facilitation by speeding up inspection, and enhances the level of enforcement and security. The high level of technology incorporated in the MRTD standards has steadily improved the level of security offered. This is particularly evident in the new biometric ePassport.

FB

What are some examples of the standardization in MRTDs?

Rod Heitmeyer

The standardization includes standard dimensions, data pages with visual (eye readable) and machine readable zones, presentation and sequencing of data elements, name truncation, main security features, machine readability in MRTDs, and eMRTDs which include the standard globally interoperable face biometric and secondary biometrics (fingerprint and iris), and chip reading and verification procedures including PKD.

FB

ICAO will hold its Fourth Symposium on ICAO MRTDs, Biometrics and Security on October 6-8 2008 in Montreal, with an exhibition highlighting important products and services related to MRTDs, biometric identification and border inspection systems. Can you tell us about some of this year’s highlights?

Rod Heitmeyer

We have an impressive team of world expert speakers who will discuss recent developments, achievements and challenges for the ICAO MRTD programme. This will include threat and risk management, secure issuance procedures, the incorporation of biometrics in passports, inspection of ePassports to check their authenticity and integrity, the importance of the ICAO PKD to global security, how border security is facilitated by MRTDs, biometrics and ePassports, expanded use of document reading systems and automated border clearance; and encouraging all States to introduce MRPs and upgrade to ePassports.

We have also arranged for a record number of exhibitors to present their products and services that can assist with the successful implementation of MRTD systems and procedures in States. This will give participants the opportunity to not only to hear what the speakers have to say on the key issues, but also to see what products and services are available.

FB

Who should attend this event?

Rod Heitmeyer

The Symposium will be of particular interest to officials of passport and ID document issuing agencies, immigration, customs and other border control and security authorities. Officials from airlines and airports involved in passenger service systems, handling of travel documents, facilitation and aviation security will also benefit greatly from attendance.

Rod Heitmeyer

Rod Heitmeyer is Consultant to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the Programme snd speakers for the 4th ICAO MRTD Symposium and Exhibition on ICAO MRTDs, Biometrics and Security Standards. He was formerly Chief, Joint Financing and Facility Management Branch of ICAO, with responsibilities that included Facilitation and the ICAO MRTD Programme. Prior to joining ICAO he was Chief Economist and Economics and Research Services Director with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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