The Colombian Juan Carlos Salazar takes over as ICAO Secretary General

Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, from Colombia, officially assumed the position of ICAO Secretary General today, succeeding Dr. Fang Liu, from China.

Mr. Salazar assumes the role of executive head of the United Nations agency specializing in civil aviation at a time when the international flight network continues to enable electronic commerce and the efficient movement of food, vaccines and other essential supplies and personnel. , despite the fact that the air transport industry continues to face the serious consequences of COVID-19, including a sharp reduction in routes, and the slow recovery of tourism and international air travel.

“It is a great honor to assume this position at this time and to have the opportunity to help governments and ICAO to play an important role in a better reconstruction and recovery of the sector after the global pandemic,” said Mr. Salazar. "Today the restoration of global connectivity continues to pose enormous challenges, and consequently many regions and populations in the world are experiencing prolonged economic, social and emotional hardship."

Mr. Salazar was the Director General of Civil Aviation of Colombia and, in addition to Spanish, he is fluent in English and French, and has a basic knowledge of Arabic. He has more than 26 years of experience in civil aviation, public policy and in the administration of large organizations. It plans to work closely with the ICAO Council to continue strengthening the governance of the organization and its Ethics Framework, review the organization chart of the Secretariat, build a digital transformation program and modernize the Organization's working methods so that the body stay up-to-date and up-to-date with innovations in aviation.

The new Secretary General also promised to further strengthen ICAO's presence at the global level through the Regional Offices and to continue to provide support to address key regional priorities, ensuring that a special effort is made throughout the Organization to assist developing States that have suffered the most devastating consequences of the pandemic. The Organization will continue to assist Member States in their implementation of CORSIA and other capacity-building activities for carbon offsetting, as well as other initiatives to reduce emissions attributable to international civil aviation.

“It is important that ICAO continues to be an important ally of the countries of the world, which today work together with the Organization to recover from the pandemic, share their skies for mutual benefit and to continually improve the standards and recommended practices of global aviation so that the skies are safe, protected, efficient and sustainable, and thus meet the expectations of the world. I will also work to innovate and improve the efficiency with which ICAO fulfills its important normative work and to continually improve its assistance to governments, industry and civil society to consult, coordinate and achieve consensus together. . "

Mr. Salazar was appointed Secretary General of ICAO by the Council in February of this year, following a thorough evaluation of numerous international candidatures.

“The ICAO Council is pleased to welcome Mr. Salazar on the occasion of his official assumption of office. In my capacity as President of the Council, I look forward to the opportunity to work closely with him to help modernize ICAO with the aim of transforming it into a body that responds better and more efficiently to the needs of its 193 Member States. " said the President of the ICAO Council, Salvatore Sciacchitano. The President also expressed, on behalf of the Council, his sincere appreciation to the former ICAO Secretary General, Dr. Fang Liu, acknowledging her dedication and contribution to ICAO during her two terms as Secretary General.