A United Nations agency which governs civil aviation is creating a task force aimed at improving security measures after the shootdown of a Malaysia Airlines jet over eastern Ukraine, according to Reuters.

International Civil Aviation Organization top officials from four international organizations met for an emergency meeting in Montreal and discussed risks to civilian aviation in conflict zones, Reuters reported.

The head of the agency said there is a pressing need for information and intelligence that can potentially affect the safety of passengers and crew members, according to Reuters.

Countries, which have sovereignty over their airspace, have been reminded of their responsibility to address any potential risks to civil aviation, Raymond Benjamin said, Reuters reported. ICAO is convening a high-level safety meeting with its 191 member states in February 2015.

The International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines; the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization; and the Airports Council International also participated in Tuesday's meeting, according to Reuters.

"This incident has identified a gap in the system that needs to be addressed," said Tony Tyler, IATA's director general, Reuters reported. Tyler said governments must do better.

"It has to be the government of that country that takes responsibility," Tyler said, according to Reuters. "If that country cannot declare its air space to be safe, then it should say so, and airlines will know that the airspace is closed and they won't fly over it."

Tyler said in the case of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, airlines were told that flights that traverse Ukraine above 32,000 feet would not be in harm's way, Reuters reported. "We now know how wrong that guidance was," he said.

The Malaysia Airlines jet was destroyed on July 17 by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile as the plane cruised at an altitude of 33,000 feet above rebel-held battlefields in eastern Ukraine. All 298 people aboard were killed, according to Reuters.

Tyler said MH17 has demonstrated that powerful and sophisticated anti-aircraft weaponry is in the hands of non-state entities, Reuters reported.