International Civil Aviation reappoints Fang Liu secretary general

Fang Liu of China (left) accepts the thanks and congratulations of the ICAO Council after being appointed the first woman to serve as ICAO Secretary

The Council of The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has reappointed Fang Liu of China by acclamation as secretary general of the UN specialised agency for a second three-year term, beginning Aug. 1.

Liu was first appointed to the position on Aug. 1, 2015, becoming the first female secretary general for the UN specialised agency’s secretariat.

A statement released by ICAO on Saturday in Montreal stated this. She said ICAO had made strides to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the standard-making process over the past three years, in her acceptance remark, saying the body had also seen an overall increase of Effective Implementation for safety and for security.

Liu said the organisation has engaged in promoting the role of aviation and demonstrating how air transport systems contribute to the achievement of the UN SDGs. She said:“We have worked very hard to optimize ICAO’s operations and to reinforce the Organisation’s implementation support to States, by strengthening the regional presence, enhancing coordination and partnerships, and streamlining technical assistance, cooperation and training.

“It is my great honour to accept this re-appointment and to continue to drive the transformational changes I have begun across ICAO and its Regional Offices in order to make this a more streamlined and efficient UN specialised agency leading such a dynamic sector”.

Liu, on the future prospects of the body, affirmed that ICAO’s foremost challenge was the unprecedented traffic growth along with the rapid advancements in aviation technologies. She added ICAO’s principal standard-making function would need to keep pace with those changes, adding that the time had come to consider a strengthened role for ICAO in implementation support.

Liu’s career in civil aviation spans more than 30 years, she had served as Director of ICAO’s Bureau of Administration and Services for seven years following her tenure of over 20 years with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).