The President of the ICAO Council is elected by virtue of his or her international experience and insight in international civil aviation, and serves chiefly as a consensus builder during diplomatic engagements among the 36 voting Council States. He is responsible for a wide range of duties relating to ICAO and the management of the Council’s work.
Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano is the sixth and current President of the ICAO Council. He was elected for a three-year term by the ICAO Council and was subsequently, re-elected for his second term beginning 1 January 2023 through 31 December 2025.
On 1 February 2025, President Sciacchitano met His Holiness Pope Francis in Vatican City, Holy See. Discussions during the private audience with the Holy Father focused on the issue of human trafficking and climate change and the work of ICAO in addressing these global challenges.
The meeting took place in advance of the World Leaders Summit on Children’s Rights, presided over by the Pontiff on 3 February 2025 at the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City and attended by select heads of state, ministers, dignitaries and global advocates for children’s rights.
Addressing the Summit (his speech is shared below), President Sciacchitano emphasized ICAO’s critical role in guiding and helping governments and the aviation industry in combatting human trafficking through the adoption of Assembly resolutions and the setting of technical standards and recommended practices for global and uniform implementation by all 193 Member States. He underscored ICAO’s commitment to strengthening anti-trafficking measures, including specialized training for aviation personnel to identify and report trafficking activities, and highlighted ICAO’s adoption of a Comprehensive Strategy for Combating Human Trafficking in the Aviation Sector.