When discussions got underway during the ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium (GISS 2026) that took place this week in Marrakech, Morocco, the global aviation community took an early and significant step forward. During a high-level Ministerial Roundtable held alongside the opening of the event, 22 countries adopted the Marrakech Call to Action—signalling a shared commitment to accelerate the implementation of ICAO’s 2026-2050 Strategic Plan and strengthen aviation systems worldwide.
The Call to Action supports our Strategic Plan, which envisions safe, secure and sustainable air transport for all by 2050, with zero fatalities and net-zero carbon emissions. It was supported by Angola, Azerbaijan, Cabo Verde, Canada, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Japan, Libya, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Singapore, South Sudan, Türkiye, and Yemen.
Among its main commitments, the Call to Action (shared below) pledges countries to strengthen governance and institutional capacity, unlock aviation growth and development through adequate funding and financing of aviation. It empowers the next generation of aviation professionals, ensures collective implementation and accountability and stresses the importance of strengthening international cooperation, ensuring that no country is left behind as the aviation sector evolves.
ICAO Council President Toshiyuki Onuma set the stage for this breakthrough in his opening remarks. “Let this Symposium be remembered as the first step in implementing ICAO’s Strategic Plan,” declared President Onuma. “Delivering safe, secure, and sustainable air transport for all is our ambition, and our shared responsibility.”
In particular, the Marrakech Call to Action reaffirms the signatories’ support for ICAO’s No Country Left Behind strategic goal, which is central to ensuring the inclusivity progress under the Strategic Plan and consequently to the expansion of aviation’s contributions to the prosperity of nations and communities worldwide. In this regard, the Ministers highlighted the urgent need for innovative partnerships and creative financing models to bridge persistent gaps, especially in less-served regions. This will help drive ICAO’s capacity development and implementation support activities, especially those that target the most critical priorities for global air transport.
The focus of the Symposium included bilateral agreement negotiations that support this goal, along with the exchange of related expertise through a series of high-level panels. As of today, 101 countries and a wide variety of intergovernmental and air transport-related organizations are attending the event, with proceedings closing on 16 April 2026.
