Rising to the Challenge: A Call to Action for Moving from Aspirations to Achieving Gender Equality in Aviation

ICAO convened the Global Aviation Gender Summit 2023 in Madrid, Spain, from 5 to 7 July 2023, in partnership with the European Commission , the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women ( UN Women ), and the ITF - International Transport Forum (ITF) at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD - OCDE ).

The Summit was hosted by the Government of Spain and, on its behalf, by the Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible .

The Summit, which built on the outcomes of the Global Aviation Gender Summit 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa, was attended by over 650 participants representing ICAO Member States, international and intergovernmental organizations, private stakeholders, industry, the United Nations (UN) system, gender experts, academia, advocates and influencers of change from around the world. In addition, over 1,500 global viewers on ICAO TV live stream have followed the discussions throughout the Summit.

The Global Aviation Gender Summit 2023:

– Recognizing that aviation - by providing connectivity between nations, creating decent work, facilitating people-to-people contacts, and promoting trade and tourism - is a key driver of economic and social development;

– Recognizing also that gender equality is a prerequisite to realizing sustainable development for all;

– Recognizing further that achieving gender equality, diversity and the creation of an enabling working environment are essential components of robust workforce and related workforce planning from which the international civil aviation sector will benefit, particularly in light of the industry’s prospects for sustainable growth and the existing labour challenges;

– Underlining that the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and particularly its Sustainable Development Goal 5, remains the global compass for the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment globally and across all sectors by 2030;

– Acknowledging that the attainment of gender equality and the empowerment of women within the aviation sector continues to face significant challenges, with persistently marginal progress;

– Recalling that the ICAO Assembly Resolution A41-26: ICAO Gender Equality Programme promoting the participation of women in the global aviation sector provides a framework for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women within the aviation sector;

– Stressing the urgent need for sector-wide mobilisation, commitment and dedicated resources to accelerate progress and achieve gender equality in aviation; and

– Supporting the work of ICAO in promoting gender equality in aviation and emphasizing ICAO’s convening power and leadership role in catalyzing collective action for accelerating gender equality in aviation in line with Resolution A41-26,

Has called on all actors and stakeholders across aviation and other relevant domains to commit to the following actions:

Data collection and analysis

1) Recognize the importance of producing, analysing and using quality gender statistics in order to measure gender gaps and better assess the participation of women across the whole aviation sector and identify solutions to promote women’s empowerment in aviation;

2) Commit to greater collaboration through knowledge-sharing, lessons learnt and exchange of experience in data collection and analysis by aviation and non-aviation stakeholders, including the private sector to maximize synergies between existing national, regional and international initiatives;

3) Demonstrate leadership in the collection and analysis of data, and explore the possibility of expanding the categories of gender-disaggregated data for aviation personnel and potential users, as well as capacity-building activities in support of Member States and industry in collecting and analysing data;

4) Strengthen cooperation between ICAO and partners, in particular ILO, UN Women, the European Commission, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the International Transport Forum (ITF), as well as industry partners such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airports Council International (ACI) and other relevant stakeholders, in support of a holistic approach to gender-disaggregated data in aviation;

Gender policies and gender mainstreaming

5) Commit to clearly articulate, develop and implement a vision for gender equality in the aviation sector and, in this regard, ensure that gender equality is part of national and regional aviation policies, plans and frameworks with due prioritization of sufficient resources for achieving gender equality objectives;

6) Commit to ensure the availability of investment and financing frameworks with gender targets to leverage resources for gender equality in aviation.

7) Develop gender equality and gender mainstreaming policies and processes, as well as accompanying implementation plans to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, as well as assess the implications of policies and other initiatives for women;

8) Engage with a broad range of stakeholders, including women and youth, when developing gender-responsive policies, to ensure diverse perspectives, needs and expectations are taken into account;

9) Mainstream consistently a gender perspective across all programmatic and administrative aspects of the work of aviation organisations to ensure gender considerations are integrated into all areas of an organisation;

10) Undertake gender-responsive budgeting to support the effective implementation of gender-responsive policies and quantify and assess the resources allocated to address the gender equality gaps in aviation;

11) Develop studies, guidance and tools to assist Member States and industry stakeholders in implementing gender-responsive policies and systematic gender mainstreaming, and monitoring the progress;

12) Strengthen partnerships in support of gender equality at the State level by providing guidance on policy development, monitoring, capacity building and financing, including promotion of Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM);

13) Collaborate to identify best modalities to exchange best practices, experiences and success stories across the aviation ecosystem, which can in turn be replicated and scaled up by other stakeholders to identify and address existing gaps;

Decent work, career development and working conditions

14) Implement the principles of decent work, including opportunities for fair income, a safe, healthy and secure working environment and equal opportunities and treatment for all women and men;

15) Promote practices and examples of decent work in the aviation industry so as to inspire models of inclusive employment opportunities;

16) Create an enabling work environment within all aviation stakeholders, including through improving organisational culture, implementing flexible work arrangements taking into account applicable labour obligations, developing family-friendly policies, child-care opportunities, and promoting work-life balance through concrete measures and sharing of best practices;

17) Prevent and combat violence, harassment and all forms of discrimination targeting women in the workplace through the development and implementation of standards of conduct and zero-tolerance policies;

18) Support women’s professional career development by addressing the systemic cultural and societal biases and discriminatory practices that hinder women's progress in the industry, and through the development of supportive human resources (HR) policies, ongoing capacity development, quality apprenticeships, vocational training, coaching and mentorship opportunities, as well as the active promotion of women within each organization;

19) Promote lifelong learning, skilling, reskilling and upskilling as key tools to prepare women and men for a rapidly changing world of work, and develop and implement targeted activities for strengthening women’s capacities as current and future aviation professionals;

20) Train recruiters and HR professionals to consider the application of behavioral science in designing selection processes and preparing assessors for decision-making on recruitment and retention. This includes: using specialized outreach to increase applications from women in male-dominated occupations and men in female-dominated occupations; using gender-inclusive language in job advertisements; anonymizing or undertaking gender-blind reviews of applications; excluding dates on CVs to avoid unduly penalising women for gaps in employment; using structured and skilled-based interviews and assessments; developing scoring systems to minimize unconscious bias; and offering, in job advertisements, flexible working arrangements taking into account applicable labour obligations;

Leadership and role models

21) Upscale and maintain representation of diverse talents into executive, management, and board roles as an essential driver of inclusion at all levels including through setting targets for enhanced representation of women in such positions;

22) Gain full commitment and buy-in from senior executives to advance gender equality in the aviation sector;

23) Strengthen the inclusive leadership capabilities of managers and executives through various tools such as tailored training and inclusion of “assessment of gender equality and the empowerment of women” into core values and/or competencies for senior managers and executives;

24) Provide positive and influential role models to the youth so that they aspire to be part of a fair, inclusive and equal world, where they can reach their full potential and live fulfilling lives;

25) Establish Ambassador programmes aimed at achieving mindset changes, fighting against gender bias, and promoting equality to encourage the young generation to pursue a career in aviation regardless of gender or background;

26) Promote partnerships between ICAO and the European Commission, the International Transport Forum, UN Women, the International Labor Organization (ILO), as well as civil society organisations active in advocating the role of women in STEM professions, including aviation.

The Global Aviation Gender Summit 2023 commits to accelerate achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women across the aviation sector by undertaking the actions outlined above, where relevant, and encouraging others to do the same. These actions should be supported through the development and annual reporting of voluntary short, medium and longer term targets to enhance women’s representation, particularly in technical occupations and at managerial and senior leadership levels.