Zim lands ICAO council seat

Harare (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe on Tuesday landed a seat on the 36-member International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council during elections held at the 41st ICAO assembly in Montreal, Canada.

A Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development delegation led by Minister Felix Mhona is in Canada, where Zimbabwe was the SADC representative in the elections.

“This is the first time that Zimbabwe has been elected into the United Nations specialised agency for Civil Aviation, the highest decision-making body of ICAO,” the Ministry tweeted.

“The foreign policy thrust of engagement and re-engagement are now bearing fruits under the Second Republic.”

According to the ICAO website, the 36-member Council, which is the governing body of the organization, is elected for a three-year term.

The election process, according to ICAO, was divided into three parts.

Part I of the elections, under which states of chief importance in air transport are chosen, saw Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States being elected.

Part II of the elections under which states which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation are considered saw Argentina, Austria, Egypt, Iceland, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, and Venezuela being chosen.

Part III, under which states to ensure all major geographic areas of the world are represented are selected, Zimbabwe along with Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mauritania, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates were chosen.

The ICAO council has numerous functions, notable among which are to submit annual reports to the assembly, carry out the directions of the assembly, and discharge the duties and obligations which are laid on it by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago, 1944).

It also gives continuing direction to the work of ICAO, with one of its major duties being adopting international Standards and Recommended Practices and to incorporate these as Annexes to the Chicago Convention.

The Council may also amend existing Annexes as necessary.

ICAO is a United Nations agency which helps 193 countries to cooperate together and share their skies to their mutual benefit.

Since it was established in 1944, ICAO’s support and coordination has helped countries to diplomatically and technically realize a uniquely rapid and dependable network of global air mobility, connecting families, cultures, and businesses all over the world, as well as promoting sustainable growth and socio-economic prosperity wherever aircraft fly.

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