Nigeria has retained its position in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly for aviation, which began last week in Montreal, Canada.
The re-election which took place at the plenary session of the ongoing 41st General Assembly of the organisation in Montreal Canada saw Nigeria garnering 149 votes to be elected for the 15th consecutive time.
However, the big news according to reports from Reuters, is that Russia has been voted out of United Nation’s aviation agency’s governing council on Saturday, over its invasion of Ukraine following a democratic vote by member states making it the first time any country has been kicked out from the premier category of the decision-making council at the United Nations Organisation for Aviation.
The ICAO Council is a permanent body of the Organization responsible to the Assembly composed of 36 Member States elected by the Assembly for a three-year term.
In the election, adequate representation is given to States of chief importance in air transport, States not otherwise included but which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation and States not otherwise included whose designation will ensure that all major geographic areas of the world are represented on the Council.
Russia fell short of the 86 votes needed to stay on in 36-nation governing council, having scored 80 during the agency’s assembly in Montreal
Russia had protested it’s ouster calling for a recount, however majority of the 170 countries that voted declined insisting that the election was free, fair and final.
“When we have votes in our countries, if we don’t like the result, we don’t ask for another vote,” the French representative told the assembly.
Federal Air Transport Agency in a reaction said that Russia’s withdrawal from the ICAO Council will not affect international flights from Russia to friendly countries as the country retains its right to full membership in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and will continue its work through the country’s representation at the ICAO.
The press service of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) told reporters on Saturday
The Russian federation before by its ouster was in Part I of the 36 member of which Air transport is of chief importance and it includes other countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom And The United States.
Nigeria was re-elected into Part II− which consists states which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation this group also includes Argentina, Colombia, Egypt, Finland*, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and Spain.
Part III includes Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Malaysia, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of Korea, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Zambia.
