The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has appointed Dr. Fang Liu of China as the new Secretary General of the Organization for a three-year term, beginning 1 August 2015. Dr Liu has been elected in the first tour of secret elections.
Dr. Liu succeeds Raymond Benjamin of France, who has held the position for two consecutive terms since 2009. She becomes the first woman ever to be appointed to the prestigious global position heading the United Nations specialized agency for civil aviation, and only the second ICAO Secretary General from an Asia Pacific State.
The Director of ICAO’s Bureau of Administration and Services since 2007, Dr. Liu has led many improvement initiatives in ICAO in recent years and served as the Chairperson of some of its most important internal committees. She has also represented ICAO at the High-Level Committee on Management under the UN Chief Executives Board for Coordination, and separately served as Chairperson of the Security Advisory Group and Vice-Chairperson of the Security Management Team for all UN Organizations in Canada.