MONTRÉAL, 1 May 2015 – The International Civil Aviation Organization successfully concluded its first round of Global Aviation Dialogues (GLADs) on Market-based Measures (MBMs) during April 2015, covering all ICAO regions. The two-day GLADs sessions were designed to share information on MBMs and their potential role in mitigating CO2 emissions from international aviation, update ICAO’s progress on the development of its global MBM scheme, and provide an important opportunity for feedback and discussion amongst Member States and relevant organizations.
''Through the five GLADs we conducted, ICAO reached 350 participants from 79 countries,” highlighted ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin. “Promoting discussion and dialogue of this nature amongst governments is essential to determining practical consensus on a global MBM scheme for international aviation at the upcoming 2016 ICAO Assembly.''
The five, two-day GLADs sessions were conducted in Lima, Peru (9–10 April), Nairobi, Kenya (14–15 April), Cairo, Egypt (20–21 April), Singapore (23–24 April) and Madrid, Spain (27–28 April). Each session featured informative presentations and separate discussion groups focused on the design features of a global MBM scheme and related implementation challenges. Importantly, many of the GLADs participants were from States not represented on the ICAO Council – ICAO’s Governing Body of 36 countries which is progressing MBM work within the UN aviation body.
“The structure and format of the GLADs was designed specifically to inform and engage non-Council States on the basics of MBMs, as well as the potential role of an international aviation MBM to complement the basket of emissions mitigation measures ICAO is already pursuing,” stressed ICAO Council President Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu. “This type of assistance and capacity-building is essential to ICAO’s mission and role, and fully aligned with objectives of our current No Country Left Behind campaign.''
The main highlights of the MBM dialogue sessions included environmental integrity, the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of a global scheme, the need for differentiation without discrimination, and the goal of avoiding excessive cost or administrative burdens. The final session of the GLADs featured an interactive panel discussion with representatives from States, industry, environmental NGOs and financial institutions.
"Perhaps most importantly for us, the States who attended these first GLADs discussions left looking forward to the second round, when a concrete proposal for a global MBM scheme is expected to be on the table,” commented Directeur de Cabinet of the Secretary General, Daniel Azema. “States and other international organizations are very eager for more information on how our sector can improve its environmental footprint, and ICAO is just as eager to provide it to them.”
ICAO will also be conducting a seminar this September on Global Aviation Partnerships on Emissions Reductions, at its Headquarters in Montréal, which will include more specific discussion on carbon markets.
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