Montreal, 26 November 2025 – Mr. Timur Tlegenov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), took part in the 8^th meeting of the 236^th Session of the ICAO Council.

During the meeting, elections for the President of the ICAO Council were held. The candidates were: Mr. Toshiyuki Onuma, Permanent Representative of Japan to the ICAO Council and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Dr. Sameh Ahmed Zaki Elhefni, Minister of Civil Aviation and Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Based on the voting results, Ambassador Toshiyuki Onuma won the election with 22 out of 36 votes. He will succeed Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano (Italy), who made the first-ever historic visit to Kazakhstan as President of the ICAO Council in July 2025.

The term of office of Mr. Onuma is set from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028, with the possibility of re-election for a second three-year term.

ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar congratulated the incoming Council President recalling that: “Mr. Toshiyuki Onuma’s election as President of the ICAO Council reflects the trust and high expectations of the international community at a transformative time for air transport worldwide.”

"The President of the Council is central to uniting ICAO’s 193 Member States around our shared vision of air transport for all by 2050, with zero fatalities and net-zero carbon emissions, and driving the cooperation, innovation and talent required to realize that vision,” said President Sciacchitano as he congratulated the incoming Council President on his election. “Consensus-building is a crucial pillar for the success of multilateralism and must always be pursued by the President.”

In his remarks, Mr. Onuma thanked his predecessor and affirmed his commitment to making every effort to fulfil the tasks set before the Organization as outlined in ICAO’s strategic documents.

Congratulations were also extended by the Permanent Representatives of Australia, Argentina, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, Italy, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and the UAE.

Ambassador Toshiyuki Onuma has over 20 years of experience, he has shaped national and international civil aviation policy, including leadership of decarbonization efforts. Mr. Onuma has held senior roles at Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. He holds an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo and an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/kazakhstanicao/press/news/details/1114465?lang=kk