UN aviation and maritime agencies pledge to collaborate to boost safety, tackle challenges

SINGAPORE – The United Nations’ aviation and maritime agencies have pledged to collaborate with each other to tackle common challenges at a global conference held in Singapore on July 14.

At a dialogue session held at the Global Aviation and Maritime Symposium, the leaders of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) agreed to tap each other’s expertise to enhance aviation and maritime safety.

The session, which involved Mr Juan Carlos Salazar, secretary-general of ICAO, and his IMO counterpart Arsenio Dominguez, touched on topics such as the impact of geopolitical tensions, dangers faced at sea and in the air, the role of multilateralism, and gaining consensus from member states.

Mr Salazar said both sectors face common challenges, including dealing with political instability in the world, security and safety of maritime and aviation transport systems, as well as dealing with the environmental impact caused by both sectors.

Noting that the dialogue was a good opportunity to showcase the “deep connections” between the maritime and aviation sectors, Mr Salazar said the cross-pollination of ideas and exchange of experiences – regarding what worked for one organisation – would be beneficial, given that they face common challenges.

The dialogue, held at Raffles City Convention Centre, was moderated by The Straits Times’ associate editor Karamjit Kaur. It was the first public sharing session that featured the leaders of both organisations.

On political instability, Mr Salazar said during a press conference with Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on the same day that the rearrangement of transit through conflict zones and management of crises are potential areas for collaboration between ICAO and IMO.

Mr Dominguez agreed, adding that some common challenges both organisations face are the rerouting of travel paths, and spiking or interference of safety equipment on board vessels and aircraft.

During the dialogue, Mr Salazar and Mr Dominguez acknowledged the impact of the tense geopolitical backdrop on both sectors.

Adding that moments of crisis typically encourage members of the international community to come together, Mr Salazar said he is optimistic about the work both ICAO and IMO are doing together.

Citing the Red Sea attacks as one of the biggest challenges the maritime sector is facing now, Mr Dominguez said the industry is resilient enough to find alternative routes in the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Learning from these situations has made IMO more active in multilateralism, as countries will work together to address common concerns and put themselves forward to be part of the solution, he added.

Mr Dominguez said: “So even though the challenges are there, it reiterates the importance of multilateralism in the UN as a whole.”

Noting that both sectors are working towards their target of net-zero emissions, Mr Salazar said ICAO has set out specific decarbonisation steps known as a basket of measures.

He added that ICAO is also looking at IMO’s strategy on greenhouse gases, which has set out a clear end date by which fossil fuels will stop being used. He called it a “very innovative scheme” that ICAO hopes to learn more from.

“I believe there are many opportunities to continue to collaborate, and we look forward to continuing to enhance the dialogue. There is very good chemistry between the two organisations,” added Mr Salazar.