Supporting Implementation Strategies — Communications
Communications
Public and media information activities, otherwise referred to as Communications (COM) at ICAO, were focused primarily on the following areas in 2015:
| • | The continuous direct support provided to the Offices of ICAO’s Council President and Secretary General in terms of the speeches, statements, interview responses, forewords, messages and news releases, featuring the Organization’s policies, positions and achievements. |
| • | Regular and ad hoc Bureau/Revenue and Product Management (RPM) coordination and assistance, including news releases on ICAO developments. |
| • | The Second High-level Safety Conference 2015 and associated risk management and information provision with mainstream media surrounding the continued public focus on flight tracking and conflict zone approaches post-Malaysia Airlines MH370. |
| • | The ICAO No Country Left Behind initiative (NB: Much of the direct NCLB information and outreach was provided through the many Executive Office speeches and news releases mentioned separately in this list). |
| • | The introduction of aviation development/UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as new areas of priority for ICAO and the related initiation of the ICAO World Aviation Forum concept. |
| • | Further and significant incremental advances with the ICAO re-branding initiative. |
| • | Development and implementation of the new ICAO Twitter policy. |
| • | Interest surrounding the incoming Secretary General of ICAO. |
| • | Planning and analysis regarding draft Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) recommendations for UN-wide COM organization and prioritization and the expectations of the new Secretary General for related planning inputs; and |
| • | Outreach with ICAO’s Mexico City, Lima and Paris Regional Offices. |
With respect to Executive Office support, the Communications Section either produced or coordinated and finalized 35 speeches and video presentations for the President of the Council and 38 speeches and videos for the outgoing and incoming Secretaries General.
The Unit produced a further 19 separate deliverables for editorial interview responses and high-level messages/forewords/editorials. These outputs were in addition to ongoing content development and coordination performed for day-to-day media-related quotes, statements, backgrounders and talking points, as well as for press conferences/scrums at major events.
Roughly half a dozen additional video presentations were produced for the Directors, Deputy Directors and occasionally officers of the Air Navigation and Air Transport Bureaus.
Seventy-three press releases were originated by COM and four media statements, an over 50 per cent increase compared to previous years.
ICAO’s Twitter followers almost tripled over 2015, rising from 16 926 on 1 January 2015 to 43 311 by 31 December of the same year, and Facebook page likes improved by 27 per cent.
Four ICAO Journals were generated, and additional editorial and design assistance was furnished for ICAO’s MRTD Report and Training Report periodicals.
COM also originated or finalized, in conjunction with Bureau staff, 18 magazine articles relating to ICAO and its work across a range of sectoral and government publications.
While work was also progressed on ICAO’s rebranding priorities and the full brand guidelines under development, increased core responsibility commitments and deliverables relating to new initiatives such as the World Aviation Forum meant that further work towards their finalization would need to be postponed until 2016.
Despite it being structured and counted on primarily as a corporate communications and public information resource for the Organization, the Communications Section also continued to be looked to by ICAO’s Bureaus, revenue product managers (RPM) and event planners over 2015 with respect to a wide range of print-, video- and web-based marketing communications and advertising materials.
The Communications Section was supported during 2015 by a tendered external supplier, Wagram Communications. It assisted with respect to media monitoring and training services, local media coordination for major news events, liaison with local governments on various ceremonies and proceedings, as well as very occasional speechwriting assistance for the Office of the President.