Background

The ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) was launched in January 1999 in response to widespread concerns expressed regarding the apparent inability of some Contracting States to carry out their safety oversight functions. The scope of the Programme was initially limited to Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing), Annex 6 (Operation of Aircraft) and Annex 8 (Airworthiness of Aircraft), but was extended in 2005 to all safety-related Annexes, including those relating to Air Navigation Services (ANS), also providing transition to a comprehensive systems approach for the conduct of safety oversight audits.