The President of the Council
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According to Article 51 of the Chicago
Convention, the ICAO Council is headed by a President, elected for a term of three
years. Since 1945, the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization
(PICAO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have had six
Presidents:
1. Dr. Edward Warner from the USA. On
15 August 1945, he was elected President of the Council of the Provisional
International Civil Aviation Organization (PICAO). He served as President of
the Council of PICAO and ICAO from 1945 to 18 April 1957.
2. Mr. Walter Binaghi from Argentina. His term of
office was from 19 April 1957 to 31 July 1976.
3. Dr. Assad Kotaite from Lebanon. Dr. Kotaite
was Secretary General of ICAO from 1 August 1970 until 1 August 1976 when he
became President of the Council of ICAO. His term of office as President was from
1 August 1976 to 31 July 2006. Shortly after his retirement, Dr.
Kotaite became the first-ever President Emeritus of the ICAO Council. The 40th
Edward Warner Award, the highest honour in the world of civil aviation, was
conferred in 2013 by the ICAO Council on Dr. Assad Kotaite, in recognition of
his eminent contribution to the development of international civil aviation,
most notably in the field of diplomacy and conciliation. In 2013, ICAO
published Dr. Kotaite’s Memoirs under the title: “50 Years of International
Diplomacy and Conciliation in Aviation”.
With the longest career
among senior officials in the history of the United Nations, Dr. Kotaite’s
tenure at ICAO is unparalleled. Not only remarkable for his contributions that
spanned a half-century, but for the critical role he played in promoting air transport
as a driver of economic, cultural and sustainable development worldwide.
In his time at ICAO,
the Organization faced significant challenges ranging from the rapid expansion
of membership that resulted in the construction of the current Headquarters
building, to the sustained growth of civil aviation and disputes over
sovereignty. These and other challenges and achievements are detailed in the
biography written by Dr. Kotaite: My
Memoirs: 50 Years of International Diplomacy and Conciliation in Aviation.
In his memoirs, Dr.
Kotaite noted, “Aviation no doubt illustrates the power of human inventiveness,
the irrepressible human impulse to overcome natural obstacles and challenges.
But it also demonstrates how the International Civil Aviation Organization,
growing from the wartime deliberations of the Chicago Conference, has become a
highly relevant and effective Organization promoting peace, cooperation,
security and safety in the skies as part of the United Nations.”
Dr. Kotaite often
brought the Preamble to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the
legal instrument of modern civil aviation signed in Chicago on 7 December 1944 back
into focus, particularly in times of crisis. Most notably, he cited the
Preamble in a speech following the 9/11 attacks to condemn the misuse of civil
aviation and call upon nations to join forces in eradicating threats to global
society.
Following his
retirement on 31 July 2006, Dr. Kotaite established the Assad Kotaite Graduate
and Postdoctoral Fellowship Fund.
4. Mr. Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez from Mexico. He was President
of ICAO from 1 August 2006 until 31 December 2013. It is to be noted that
Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez was honoured in 2016 by a stamp issued by the Mexican Postal Service in recognition of his outstanding contribution for
the benefit of national and international civil aviation. See at the following
link: Mexico:
Roberto Kobeh González – 50 years at the service of aviation.
5. Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard
Aliu from Nigeria. He took over
the reins as ICAO Council President beginning 1 January 2014, for a six-year
term ending on 31 December 2019.
6. Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano from Italy, elected as President
for a first three-year term, beginning 1 January 2020. He was re-elected by acclamation on 24 October 2022 for a
second three-year term as President of the Council, commencing on 1 January
2023.
The portraits of the past-Presidents are placed
at the entrance of the ICAO Council Chamber.
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1 May 1947 - Internal mail on the
official letterhead paper addressed to the ICAO Staff
Association. |
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Picture of Dr. Edward Warner. |
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Service cover sent from the UN
located at Lake Success to Dr. Warner. Postmarked on 24 November 1950. Prior to the
construction of the current complex in New York City, the UN was headquartered,
from 1946 to 1952, in a building that during World War II had been a Sperry
Gyroscope Co. plant located at Lake Success, New York, an eastern suburb of the
city in Nassau County on Long Island. |
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Mail sent to Dr. Warner on service
cover from the International Labour Office, Geneva Postmarked on 14 November 1954. |
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1957 - Mr. Binaghi passes the
Council Chamber gavel to his successor, Dr. Kotaite. |
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Mail sent to Mr. Binaghi -
Postmarked on 17 June 1971. |
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Mail sent to Dr. Kotaite from the
Ministry of Transport, Warsaw, Poland Postmarked on 17 March 1994. |
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2006 - Dr. Kotaite passes the Council
Chamber gavel to his successor, Mr. Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez. |
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Mail sent to Mr. Roberto Kobeh
Gonzalez from the Department of Transportation
and Communications (DOTC), Manila, Philippines Postmarked on 21 November 2006 - Receiving
stamp added by ICAO. |
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In
recognition of the outstanding contribution of Ing. Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez
for the benefit of national and international civil aviation, the Mexican
Postal Service, Correos de México, issued on 29 November 2016 a commemorative postal stamp in
which its image is appreciated at the highest level to the service of the
aviation. More information on this issue can be found at:
Mexico:
Roberto Kobeh González – 50 years at the service of aviation. |
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Registered service cover sent from
Azerbaijan to Dr. Aliu, President of the Council,
In one of his addresses, President
Aliu stressed that "Progress through consensus and collaboration is the
aviation sector’s greatest strength, and will certainly be the key factor in
how air transport continues to contribute to the global economic development
and the promotion of peaceful relations amongst States in the decades
ahead." |
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2019 - Dr. Aliu passes the Council
Chamber gavel to his successor, Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano. |
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Service cover sent from the
Ambassador of Argentina at Ottawa to Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the Council, |
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Portraits of the past-Presidents at the entrance
of the Council Chamber. |
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The Council Chamber, as designed by Luc Plante
and Richard Godbout, Architects, for Provencher Roy et Associés Architectes. |
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