A report by Legal Director, Carly Hicks

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are violating international standards on transparency and citizens’ access rights.

Our report finds that that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are violating international standards on transparency and citizens’ access rights. The absence of effective citizen access rights to the ICAO and IMO has resulted in an almost total lack of accountability to those most affected by the decisions taken by governments in ICAO and IMO meetings – namely their citizens. The lack of accountability is both cause and symptom of a failure to apply the legal standards on transparency expected of UN bodies and has the effect of dramatically increasing the influence of unambitious industry on decision-making processes, and dramatically decreasing the level of climate ambition.