ICAO Promotes Aviation Gender Equality Initiatives

ICAO, in cooperation with Airports Council International(ACI), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and otherinternational organizations based near its Headquarters, hosted a special jointevent in celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD).

ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu welcomed the many guestswho attended the Montreal celebration, which were focused around theInternational Women’s Day 2020 theme of: “I am Generation Equality: RealizingWomen’s Rights.”

“Throughout my professional career, and especially in mycurrent role as ICAO Secretary General, I have strongly advocated for the equalparticipation of both women and men in international aviation operations anddecision-making,” Dr. Liu highlighted.

“But it is now more important than ever to advocate forgender equality, given the opportunities which are presenting themselves due togrowth, attrition, and other factors. This is particularly the case inhighly-specialized industries like aviation, where women continue to beunder-represented.”

In his opening remarks to the Council in celebration of IWD,the President of the Council, Salvatore Sciacchitano emphasized that “genderequality in our sector is crucial to filling the gap of aviation professionalsin the near future.”

In 2016, national governments at ICAO’s 39th Assemblyadopted a Resolution supporting the establishment of ICAO’s Gender EqualityProgramme. This was realized the following year, and in 2018 the agencyconvened the first ever Global Aviation Gender Summit. Dr. Liu noted that asecond such summit is currently being organized by ICAO for this November, incollaboration with Spain.

At ICAO’s 40th Assembly last year, its member States wereurged to increase the current momentum toward sectoral gender equality inaviation. Dr. Liu stressed that in order for ICAO to continue playing a keycoordination and leadership role in these global efforts, she had justestablished a new Joint Advisory Group on Gender Equality and Gender Equity.

“It’s my expectation that this new Joint Advisory Group willhelp both ICAO and its States drive more rapid and aligned progress on the keygender equality targets we’re pursuing, ultimately enhancing it across bothICAO and global aviation,” she said.

Additional insights on the need for continued and determined action on gender equality in aviation were provided by prominent women in aviation including Angela Gittens, ACI Director General; Angie Ahmed Abdallah Mostafa Elyazzy, Egypt’s Representative on the ICAO Council; Maria Saranti, Greece’s Representative on the ICAO Council; Shefali Juneja, India’s Representative on the ICAO Council; Thilly De Bodt, Chief of Partnerships & Resource Mobilization for ICAO; and Niloofar Moradi, Project Engineer at Pratt & Whitney Canada.