The International Civil Aviation Organization’s Role in International Relations Established shortly before the end of World War II in December 1944 and known as the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization (hereinafter alternatively ICAO or “the organization”) became a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) on April 4, 1947 (About ICAO, 2017). Since that time, the overarching purpose of the ICAO was set forth in the Convention on International Civil Aviation (commonly known as the “Chicago Convention” or simply “the Convention”) together with specific mandates for the future (About ICAO, 2017). Today, the Convention’s 192 member-states (see Appendix A) and various industry groups pursue common solutions for global aviation-related problems as well as optimal standards and recommended practices to provide a civil aviation sector that is efficient and safe as well as environmentally responsible and sustainable (About ICAO, 2017). This paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning the ICAO to describe the evolution of its operating framework and current membership followed by a discussion concerning the organization’s overarching objective and achievements to date. Finally, an analysis of the most pressing issues facing the ICAO today and proposed solutions conclude the paper.

Review and Discussion

Framework

The general organizational framework in which the ICAO operates to achieve its purpose and Convention mandates is depicted in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1. Organizational framework of the ICAO

Source: http://dev.ulb.ac.be/ceese/ABC_Impacts/glossary/images_glossary/icao.png

The standards and recommended practices and policies developed under this framework are used by the member-states of the ICAO to assure that their respective civil aviation operations and regulations are in conformance with global best practices and norms in n order to facilitate the oversight of more than 100,000 air flights each day in virtually every part of the world (About ICAO, 2017). Besides the standards and recommended practices and procedures developed by the ICAO, the organization is also responsible for providing assistance as needed and coordinating capacity building among member-states concerning global plans for coordinating multinational air and safety navigation, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of current oversight regimens and overseeing aviation-related issues with respect to general safety and security (About ICAO, 2017).

A complete listing of all 192 current member-states of the ICAO is provided at Appendix A and a map of ICAO’s regional offices in provided in the map depicted in Figure 2 below (see Appendix A for a list of ICAO Council Members)..

Figure 2. ICAO regional offices

Source: ICAO, 2017 at http://gis.icao.int/SVGICAOMAP/ICAOREGWEBSECgil.html

Notwithstanding the exhaustive membership in the ICAO today as shown at Appendix A, the organization did not always represent the overwhelming majority of the countries of the world. In fact, fully 80% of the original ICAO assembly had to approve the membership of the former Axis powers (i.e., Germany, Japan and Italy) before they were allowed to join the ICAO together with the approval from any country that was attacked by these powers during World War II (Jeon, 2010).

Despite these seemingly onerous requirements, though, the admission process led primarily by the United States was characterized by high levels of international cooperation and former adversaries soon became committed to the development and sustainment of a viable global civil aviation framework (Jeon, 2010). In fact, the United States encouraged the ICAO to provide as many technical assistance programs to newly democratized countries in an effort to “strengthen the free world and win [the] Cold War struggle by the imaginative use of civil aviation assistance” (Jeon, 2010, p. 240).

By contrast, the opposition by the United States to the admission of the newly formed communist government in the People’s Republic of China’s demand to kick Taiwan (a founding member-state) out of the ICAO significantly delayed mainland China’s entry into the organization (Jeon, 2010) and Taiwan was eventually forced out of the ICAO in 1971 after losing its UN membership (Kao, 2016). Indeed, no communist countries were elected to the ICAO’s council until 1965 and the former Soviet Union delayed into entry into the organization until 1970 (Jeon, 2010).

Further, the ICAO also played other significant roles in the geopolitical sphere during the mid-20th century as well. For example, Jeon (2010) reports that, “In addition to tensions between capitalist and communist states, regional problems also surfaced at ICAO. Many African states wanted to expel apartheid South Africa, for example, and Israel faced hostility from Middle Eastern member countries” (p. 241). Resolving these multinational differences has not always been...

“WHEREAS the future development of international civil aviation can greatly help to create and preserve friendship and understanding among the nations and peoples of the world, yet its abuse can become a threat to the general security; and
2. “WHEREAS it is desirable to avoid friction and to promote that cooperation between nations and peoples upon which the peace of the world depends;

3. “THEREFORE, the undersigned governments having agreed on certain principles and arrangements in order that international civil aviation may be developed in a safe and orderly manner and that international air transport services may be established on the basis of equality of opportunity and operated soundly and economically (History of the ICAO, 2017, para. 3).

In addition, the foregoing overarching purpose was given additional definitional clarity in 1971 at an ICAO conference in Montreal where it was stipulated that:

The purpose of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is to develop the principles and techniques of international air navigation and to foster the planning and development of international air transport, so as to ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation throughout the world (Agency appropriations for fiscal year 1978, 1977).

Given the importance of this overarching purpose to global transportation and economic development, it is especially noteworthy that the ICAO has succeeded in a number of areas over the years, including most especially those discussed below.

Achievements

From a strictly geopolitical perspective, just about anything the ICAO has achieved over the years had carried with it global implications. A case study of the ICAO by Jeon (2010) found that, based on its efforts over the past 60-plus year, the achievements of the ICAO have had significant global implications. For instance, Jeon (2010) emphasizes that, “International aviation has been crucial in defining new terms and categories of international politics, economics, and law. [The] ICAO served as a forum for debates in each of these areas” (p. 240).

By serving as an objective forum for the political debates that shaped the latter half of the 20th century, the ICAO has clearly contributed to the peaceful resolution of issues that could otherwise assume far more serious consequences. As Jeon (2010) concludes, “Our understanding of Cold War international relations would be incomplete if we did not consider the efforts and resources that went into creating and maintaining international systems of civil aviation” (p. 241). This assertion is consistent with the guidance provided by Wang (2016) who notes that civil air travel promotes business efficiency and closer economic integration among countries. It enables service industries to reach wider regional markets and cater to a larger customer base. Air travel also makes it easier to facilitate the exchange of ideas among companies through business travels and conferences. Access to air travel also has an impact on investment (Wang, 2016).

An ICAO-sponsored survey shows that 18 percent of businesses' investment decisions were directly affected by the absence of efficient air transportation connections (Wang, 2016). Moreover, the frequency of passenger flights has become an accurate bellwether of regional economic integration due to manner in which they facilitate stronger economic ties between countries (Wang, 2016). Some indication of the salience of this indicator can be discerned from the results of the ICAO-sponsored survey that found that, “More than 35 non-stop flights fly from London to Paris every day [vs] about 15 from São Paulo to Buenos Aires. If flights could link [them] as tightly as London and Paris, both would enjoy huge economic gains” (p. 7). Beyond the economic benefits that accrue to stronger ties between countries, more frequent air service between countries also helps family members from nations with large expatriate populations keep in touch with each other, strengthening and sustaining family bonds (Wang, 2016).

Beyond the foregoing achievements, another noteworthy achievement of the ICAO since its inception has been its targeted initiatives that have been designed to improve civil aviation in member-states pursuant to the ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Program which is staffed and guided by the Technical Cooperation Bureau (History of the ICAO, 2017). The ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Bureau has been highly effective at providing member-states and other stakeholders in the private sector with the timely guidance…