The critical importance of mitigating risks to civil aviation over and near conflict zones was the focus of the ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano's advocacy at the Fourth Annual Safer Skies Forum, which took place on 8 April 2025 in Marrakech, Morocco.
It was preceded by a bilateral meeting between President Sciacchitano and H.E. Abdessamad Kayouh, Minister of Transport and Logistics of the Kingdom of Morocco. The President and the Minister agreed to explore ways to strengthen cooperation on air safety, with Mr. Sciacchitano commending Morocco's leadership in hosting the discussions.
In his opening remarks the following day, President Sciacchitano affirmed ICAO's enduring commitment to the Safer Skies initiative, which was originally launched by Canada in response to the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in 2020.
The President highlighted the importance of global and regional collaboration in improving crisis preparedness, intelligence sharing, and civil-military coordination. He also noted that these efforts align with ICAO's broader Strategic Plan for 2026-2050, which sets an ambitious target of zero fatalities from accidents and unlawful interference.
"Our success depends on collective action. We need governments, regulatory bodies, industry leaders, and aviation professionals working in concert to build a resilient, agile aviation sector prepared for any future challenges".
ICAO is advancing several key initiatives to strengthen conflict zone risk mitigation:
• Launching a global awareness campaign• Developing an Implementation Package (iPack) for Conflict Zones with Canada's support• Creating a globally harmonized crisis response framework• Establishing a Regional Air Traffic Management Contingency Framework
The President concluded his remarks by calling on participants to leverage the Forum as a platform for political momentum and technical cooperation, particularly as an opportunity to continue progress with ICAO's unwavering support for the Safer Skies initiative.
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