Enhanced cooperation between ICAO and the World Economic Forum (WEF) on issues pertaining to sustainability and all aspects of aviation development will result from a Memorandum of Understanding agreed by the President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, and the Managing Director of the WEF Managing Board, Mr. Anil Menon. The ceremony was attended by the Secretary General of ICAO, Dr. Fang Liu.
It took place on 23 September 2019, on the sidelines of ICAO’s Fifth World Aviation Forum in Montréal.
It was concluded in consideration of the WEF’s recognition of the essential role played by the United Nations in supporting global development, and ICAO’s substantial contributions to the WEF’s work to date, notably as co-chair of the Stewardship Board Meeting of its System Initiative on Shaping the future of Mobility.
The MoU specifies a wide variety of areas for cooperation that are crucial to the global air transport network, relating to safety, security, environmental protection, the sustainable development benefits of air connectivity, and the integration of new aviation technologies. These include the implementation of sustainable alternative aviation fuels, drones and remotely piloted aerial systems, biometrics and other traveller identification technologies, big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things.
The signing of the MoU is timely, as the agreement itself notes that it could “echo the ICAO World Aviation Forum’s objective of mobilizing high-level policymakers and economic decision makers to support air transport development.” It also underscores the strong commitment of both parties to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the critical contributions of aviation towards the achievement of the goals set forth by it.
In this regard, the WEF will collaborate with ICAO on the development of procedures which States could use in order to integrate and harmonize national and regional legislation with regard to air transport, and ensure that WEF initiatives are informed and in line with the international standards and recommended practices adopted by ICAO.
