On 14 March 2023, ICAO’s seven Regional Directors provided an annual briefing to the ICAO Council on priorities for the implementation of the ICAO Business Plan and Global Aviation Safety, Security and Air Navigation Plans at the regional level, highlighting the challenges, opportunities, and risks.
Following an introduction by ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar, the leaders of ICAO’s Regional Offices in Bangkok, Cairo, Dakar, Lima, Mexico City, Nairobi, and Paris – Messrs. Tao Ma, Mohamed Abubaker Farea, Prosper Zo'o-Minto'o, Fabio Rahnemay Rabbani, Julio Siu, Barry Kashambo, and Nicolas Rallo, respectively – engaged in dialogue with the Council members on the outlook for their respective accreditation areas.
The Regional Directors highlighted recent developments and illustrated how their offices’ Operating Plans implement the ICAO 2023-2025 Business Plan and ICAO’s Transformational Objective to promote connectivity and help ensure a safe, secure, sustainable, resilient and inclusive recovery of the global air transport network. They also pointed to the challenges affecting States and regions, and the need to enhance the prioritization of aviation activities within national and regional developmental strategies, and the continued further liberalization of air transport.
A heightened State-centric, risk-based, result-oriented and collaborative approach, including through enhanced coordination and cooperation with regional organizations and mechanisms, was also highlighted as a means to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in ICAO’s activities, and its positive impact and benefits for States.
Looking forward, the Regional Directors advocated for the strengthening the ICAO provision of implementation support to States across ICAO’s Strategic Objectives, including on issues related to the rule of international air law, including the ratification of international legal instruments by all States.
The Regional Directors placed a particular focus on States’ safety and security oversight capabilities, on the implementation of ICAO’s global and regional plans through relevant and effective national plans, and on achieving timely progress for the decarbonization of aviation, including through the acceleration of both the production and availability of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and of the related necessary policies and investments.
