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The governing body of the United Nations' aviation body has elected Liu Fang, a veteran of China's aviation authority, as its new secretary general, the first woman to hold the position in the agency's 70-year history.
Liu Fang, who has worked for the Montreal-based agency in various capacities since 2007, will start her three-year term as the new head of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on August 1.
"She becomes the first woman ever to be appointed to the prestigious global position heading the United Nations specialised agency for civil aviation, and only the second ICAO secretary general from an Asia Pacific state," the organisation said in a statement that it released on Wednesday.
Educated in China and the Netherlands, Liu previously held posts at China's aviation agency and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
She succeeds Frenchman Raymond Benjamin, who has held the position since 2009.
"I thank all my ICAO colleagues and I will work hard with my team for better and safer aviation of the world," Liu said.
Liu, currently director of ICAO's Bureau of Administration and Services, won 19 out of 36 votes. The other candidates were from Australia, India and the United Arab Emirates.
ICAO's Secretary General oversees the Montreal-based agency's secretariat, acting as its chief executive officer, and reports to its 36-member governing council currently led by Nigeria's Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.
The ICAO, a UN specialised agency founded in 1944, sets safety standards and rules for air transport. It has no enforcement role, but its audits push governments to enhance aviation budgets and adjust priorities.
The agency is under pressure to improve safety in the industry after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and the downing of another Malaysian airliner in Ukraine last year.
At a major safety conference last month ICAO member states endorsed a plan to track aircraft flying outside radar, and a proposal to build a website where states can share information about risks over conflict zones.
The agency is not a regulator, but its standards typically become regulatory requirements in its 191 member states.
Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Xinhua


Chinese executive becomes first female to head UN aviation body