International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

1. ICAO Assembly Resolution A41‑13 Strategy on Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Mechanism in Aviation, reaffirms the importance for ICAO to work collaboratively within the United Nations System to ensure timely, coordinated and high-quality assistance to all States where disaster losses pose a threat to people's health and development. To this end, ICAO prioritized its effort to establish and maintain a comprehensive and adaptable framework that will allow it to support States, as necessary, in meeting their obligations to the Annexes to the Chicago Convention, as well as obligations in other sectors such as international health regulations, in developing, promulgating and implementing relevant contingency and emergency plans. This overarching framework seeks to improve response capabilities by States in the face of various crises, including disruption, or potential disruption, of airport or air traffic management and related support services, health-related crises (e.g., pandemics), and humanitarian-related crises (e.g., natural disasters).

2.  In accordance with ICAO Assembly Resolutions A40-14: Mitigation of the spread of disease through, inter alia, aircraft disinsection and vector control methods and A41-12: Maintaining health and sustaining safe international air transport during public health emergencies affecting air travel, ICAO continues to engage with WHO, relevant organizations and industry stakeholders by establishing and revising formalized collaboration agreements, developing combined guidance material and conducting combined assistance visits to member states for purposes of strengthening the ICAO Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA) programme, preventing or mitigating the spread of disease through aviation and building aviation resilience for future public health emergencies.

3.  The 41st Session of ICAO's Assembly reaffirmed the importance of harmonized regulatory frameworks to be established, to allow humanitarian stakeholders to leverage the benefits of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), in particular during humanitarian assistance operations (A41-WP/653, 31.45 refers). The deployment of UAS presents an opportunity for the organizations of the United Nations System to enhance their operational capabilities in support of their respective mandates, missions and objectives, including in the context of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and rule of law. Accordingly, ICAO has intensified cooperative efforts with entities of the United Nations System, to support and coordinate UN efforts related to the development, harmonization and implementation of UAS regulatory frameworks, including with regard to safety of UAS operations. A coordination forum has been established as the strategic coordination mechanism for the harmonization of UAS frameworks for the organizations of the United Nations system. On 30 April 2025, a Declaration was endorsed to that effect by relevant entities of the UN System.