4 October 2013: The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) concluded the 38th session of its Assembly, which considered global solutions to address emissions from international aviation. The Assembly made progress on all five of its 2014-2016 strategic objectives, including reaching agreement to develop a global market-based measure (MBM) for international aviation.

ICAO Council President Roberto Kobeh González described the MBM agreement as “a historic milestone for air transport and for the role of multilateralism in addressing global climate challenges.” By reaching consensus to formulate the MBM agreement, the air transport industry became the only major industry with a multilateral global MBM agreement to govern future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ICAO member States agreed to finalize a proposal for the MBM scheme for discussion in 2016, with implementation planned for 2020.

On environmental protection, the Council presented and discussed reports on activities related to international aviation and climate change. The Assembly agreed on a comprehensive strategy on alternative fuels, operations and technology, and a capacity building work programme to assist States to develop and implement action plans to reduce emissions. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the EU announced financial assistance for States to develop their action plans. The Assembly also welcomed progress on a carbon dioxide emissions standard for aircraft and development of environmental tools, including the Fuel Savings Estimation Tool.

The session, which took place from 24 September-4 October 2013, at ICAO headquarters in Montreal, Canada, brought together 1,845 participants from 184 member States and 54 observer delegations. The Assembly is the Organization’s sovereign body, which meets at least once every three years to review ICAO’s work programme relating to economic, legal, technical cooperation and technical fields. [ICAO Assembly Website] [ICAO Press Release] [IISD RS Story on GEF Support]