Dr. Fang Liu Addresses CORIM Event

Stressing that many ICAO Member States today are at an important turning point in terms of their local sustainable development, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu delivered an important message on aviation and its role in fostering sustainable economic growth to a high-level audience gathered at Montreal’s Council on International Relations (CORIM).

“While it is very encouraging that plans are being drawn up by our Member States to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and that investments are being sought to support them, the cross-integration of overall SDG planning is still lacking in some respects,” Dr. Liu noted. “We see it as one of our key responsibilities in ICAO today to sensitize government decision-makers on how their aviation development objectives must be suitably prioritized, and inclusively aligned, with their broader SDG planning.”

The ICAO Secretary General additionally touched on urgent air transport priorities as the sector continues to grow rapidly globally, including for governments to invest in infrastructure to ensure they can handle expanded operations and realize new prosperity from the higher levels of tourism and trade which they’ll lead to, and to limit air transport greenhouse gas emissions to the fullest extent possible.

Dr. Liu also spoke to the immense concern to all air transport stakeholders today concerning the pressing need for greater human capital development.

“We will not only need to increase the overall numbers of next generation aviation professionals, but also manage their balanced movement between countries and employers,” she stressed. “We also need to broaden our scope and begin instilling greater aviation awareness in high school and younger students, and especially in young girls, in addition to our work with the university-level and young professional demographics.”

After Dr. Liu’s speech, Montreal Airports Corporation President and CEO Mr. Philippe Rainville unveiled a scale model of a 3-meter tall kiosk which will soon be placed in the Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport commemorating ICAO’s presence in Montreal, and its role in establishing the Canadian city as the World Capital of Civil Aviation.

(Image provided with ICAO news release)

FMI: www.icao.int