Agreement Signed With Canada To Keep HQ Where It Is Through 2036
The government of Canada and the ICAO have signed an agreement that will keep the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal until at least 2036.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Jean-François Lisée, Quebec’s Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade (and Minister Responsible for the Montréal Region), Montréal Mayor Michael Applebaum, and ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin signed the new agreement Monday.
The Agreement sets out the terms between ICAO and Canada that will keep ICAO headquartered in Montréal for 20 years beyond 2016 (the year the current agreement expires). Montréal has been home to the ICAO since its inception in 1947.
“Today is a great day for Montréal, for Quebec and for Canada—our joint efforts have paid off,” said Baird. “Each level of government, and many other stakeholders as well, recognized the importance of keeping ICAO where it belongs, and we joined forces to work together in true team spirit to get the job done.”
“This outcome, of which we are particularly proud, is the product of a fast, efficient and concerted effort to retain the jewel that is ICAO,” said Minister Lisée. “But we won’t stop there. We’ll continue to work together with a view to consolidating the aerospace ecosystem, which includes ICAO, in the heart of the metropolis.”
“This proves what can be done when all levels of government work together. This is excellent news for Montréal and we have always been proud to be home to a world-class organization like the ICAO since it’s part of the future of our metropolis,” said Mayor Applebaum.
“Canada has been a gracious host to ICAO for well over 60 years now, and Montréal’s multicultural and aerospace-intensive environment is very well-suited to our organization’s State Council Representatives, delegates and international staff,” said ICAO Secretary General Benjamin. “We’re very grateful to Canada for its recent streamlining of diplomatic protocols and enhancing of ICAO’s working environment, support that will help to ensure our continuing leadership role within the global aviation community.”
Canada, Quebec and Montréal take the responsibility of hosting ICAO very seriously. In recent weeks, all three governments have listened carefully to ICAO members and are taking steps to offer enhanced service to the organization. These measures will be offered in addition to the Supplementary Agreement, negotiated in good faith by Canada over the last two years and endorsed by the ICAO Council on March 11, 2013.
“Montréal has been our home for many decades,” Benjamin said in a statement posted on the ICAO website. “While the offer to move us to Doha was extremely generous, ICAO is also very pleased to continue its global mission with the support and cooperation of the Canadian and local governments who have hosted our Headquarters for so many years now.”
According to the Montreal Gazette, the Canadian government will pay about 80 percent of the lease, with Quebec chipping in $15 million (Canadian) for "administrative costs of the ICAO premises devoted to the technical cooperation." The national government will also allocate $1.4 million for upgrades to conference facilities and security equipment prior to the body's scheduled fall assembly.
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