9 October 2009: Member States of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which represent 93 percent of commercial air traffic globally, have approved a Declaration affirming their commitment to work through ICAO to reduce industry emissions contributing to climate change.

Member States gathered in Montreal, Canada, from 7-9 October 2009, for the High-level Meeting on International Aviation and Climate Change, during which they reviewed the Programme of Action developed by the Group on International Aviation and Climate Change (GIACC) and considered further necessary actions to address emissions from international aviation with the aim of providing concrete proposals to UNFCCC COP15 in December 2009.
The Declaration goes beyond the airline industries’ self-proclaimed goal of a 1.5 percent fuel efficiency increase per annum to declare a goal of achieving an annual average fuel efficiency improvement of 2 percent until 2020, with the aspiration to do the same in the long term, from 2021to 2050. The Declaration also announces plans to create a market based mechanism to lower emissions and a comprehensive reporting system to track emissions and report them to the UNFCCC.
The Declaration recognizes the common but differentiated responsibilities of members to reduce global emissions, but does not create specific goals for its members. Additionally, contained in a list of 15 recommendations is the suggestion that technical and financial assistance be provided to developing member States to aid in the reduction of emissions and the measuring and reporting of emissions.
[ICAO Press Release][Summary of Meeting][Draft Declaration]