No Country Left Behind (NCLB) Initiative — ICAO World Aviation Forum (IWAF)

ICAO convened the first-ever World Aviation Forum (IWAF): Aviation Partnerships for Sustainable Development, on
23-25 November in Montréal. The IWAF was attended by over 800 participants representing ICAO Member States, international organizations, financial institutions and the industry sector.

IWAF participants indicated their strong belief that the Organization’s No Country Left Behind (NCLB) campaign will help to better identify and coordinate assistance to States in need so that they may foster sustainable local and regional prosperity and fully benefit from improved global connectivity. A safe, secure and sustainable global aviation system, based on the effective implementation of global standards and policies, will provide the nations of the world with efficient access to the global market.

IWAF participants emphasized that the aviation system has a significant impact on economic development and growth, bringing positive growth to tourism and trade and generating additional economic benefits which help nations eradicate poverty, create jobs and mobilize resources.

This growth subsequently feeds into aviation re-investment, creating a sustainable and healthy cycle of aviation and economic development. The participants also highlighted that, despite its economic significance, the aviation system still receives limited funds to support its development potential.

IWAF participants acknowledged that, in order to provide more effective support to aviation development, substantial financial and partnership assistance was required.

Mindful of these points, IWAF participants welcomed commitments by:

a)	States to include aviation in their national development plans and to position aviation as a strategic priority for the development of the country;
b)	International and regional organizations to work closely with ICAO to ensure that a safe, secure and sustainable global aviation system is part of the global development framework;
c)	Financial institutions to support ICAO’s role as a facilitator of aviation development for mobilizing resources for infrastructure, capacity development and essential service needs; and
d)	Industry to incentivize the implementation of global aviation standards and policies.

IWAF participants also strongly supported maintaining the focus of the community on the global contribution and value of aviation through future support for NCLB and subsequent IWAF events.

Pursuant to the recommendations by the Council off-site Strategy Meeting (COSM), and the conclusions of the IWAF, the Global Aviation Training (GAT) Office has been working with universities, training centres, civil aviation authorities and other aviation stakeholders to establish partnership agreements and comprehensive technical support projects in training, human resources development and capacity-building to assist States.