On the sidelines of the ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium 2026 (GISS 2026), a meeting was held between Mr. Toshiyuki Onuma, President of the ICAO Council, and Ms. Saltanat Tompiyeva, Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The meeting was also attended by Mr. Nicolas Rallo, Director of the ICAO EUR/NAT Regional Office, and Mr. Timur Tlegenov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to ICAO.

The Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee congratulated Mr. Onuma on his election, expressing confidence that his extensive professional experience will contribute to the continued advancement of international civil aviation.

“I have always highly appreciated your country’s proactive stance and its meaningful contribution to ICAO’s work. Not only I, but everyone clearly recognizes your strong engagement and commitment to the Organization’s principles. It is essential for me to better understand what the Organization can do for its Member States and what their actual support needs are. From this perspective, your approach sends a very positive signal,” said T. Onuma.

In turn, Mr. Rallo highlighted Kazakhstan’s unique trajectory, emphasizing the achievements of its aviation sector in recent years:

“We see a State that exemplifies a model of strategy and partnership — one that once benefited from ICAO support and is now actively supporting other countries by sharing knowledge and practical experience. For this, we are truly grateful.”

Ms.Tompiyeva presented key indicators of the sector’s development in Kazakhstan:

“The aviation security implementation rate has increased from 62% to 95.7%, allowing Kazakhstan to enter the world’s top 20. In 2025, passenger traffic grew by 80% compared to the pre-pandemic period. In terms of flight safety oversight, Kazakhstan’s indicator improved from 47% in 2009 to 82% in 2025. This 35-point increase exceeds both the global average (69.3%) and the European average (76%).”

An important milestone was Kazakhstan’s ratification of the amendments to Articles 50(a) and 56 of the Chicago Convention. This step enables Kazakhstan to nominate its candidacy for the ICAO Council at the upcoming Extraordinary Session of the ICAO Assembly.

The ratification also facilitates the entry into force of decisions to expand the membership of both the ICAO Council and the Air Navigation Commission.

Kazakhstan is the largest of the 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), which together have a population of over500 million. Currently, only two LLDCs -Mali and Uganda -are members of the ICAO Council.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee invited the ICAO Council President to visit Kazakhstan and participate in ICAO Security Week 2026, scheduled to take place from 20 to 22 October this year.

It was noted that the event will become the first large-scale international gathering in Kazakhstan held under ICAO’s auspices and one of the largest aviation security forums in the region.

As part of her participation in GISS 2026, Saltanat Tompiyeva held additional bilateral meetings with Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, Mr. Nicolas Rallo, Mr. Tarik Talibi, as well as ministers and civil aviation authorities from Canada, France, Denmark, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Nigeria, and Guinea-Bissau. Meetings were also held with the leadership of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization, the African Civil Aviation Commission, and the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission.

Following these engagements, mutual interest was confirmed in further expanding cooperation, exchanging best practices, and advancing joint initiatives within the framework of ICAO.