Calls For Immediate Whistleblower Protections

The U.S. government has put its dues to the ICAO on hold, saying the body needs to reform its policies on public access to documents and expanding its protections for whistleblowers.

Reuters reports that a U.S. State Department official told the news agency that the United States expects "ethical and efficient management", "transparency and trustworthy governance" and "accountability for performance and conduct."

The United States has been calling for expanded whistleblower protections since media reports surfaced concerning an insider's account of a 2016 cyberattack at the agency. The U.S. says ICAO downplayed the severity of the breach.

The United States provides about 25 percent of the ICAO's $76 million budget. according to the report.

In an email to Reuters, the ICAO said it is already working to "formalize" a new whistleblower policy that has the approval of the U.S. and other countries. But the U.S. had wanted the policy implemented in June of this year when it was approved by the body's governing council.

ICAO spokesman Anthony Philbin said the move essentially threatened to "defund the ICAO." The U.S. has not said that it plans to quit the agency outright..

FMI: Source report