Today, Dubai witnessed the beginning of the third conference of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on Aviation and Alternative Fuels. The event, held under the esteemed patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, gathered a wide international audience. More than 1000 participants from various parts of the world, including over 40 ministers, government delegations from over 90 countries, and representatives from more than 30 relevant international and regional organisations, attended the conference. CEOs of major airlines, fuel production companies, and aircraft manufacturers were also present.
The conference, hosted by the UAE, covers a high-level ministerial session followed by multiple sessions for government delegations from ICAO member states, with the participation of representatives from airlines, fuel production companies, and relevant organisations serving as observers. Seventeen sessions will dis
cuss five main topics related to clean energy production, necessary policies to support the transition to low-carbon and sustainable fuel, and other types of clean fuel (such as hydrogen). The discussions will also focus on ways for countries to support their capacity building for clean energy production for aviation and the required financing mechanisms. The conference aims to review ICAO’s ambitious long-term goal of achieving carbon-neutral growth by 2050.
The conference hosted by the UAE, extends from November 20 to 24, encompassing a high-level ministerial session followed by several sessions for government delegations from representatives of member countries in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Representatives from airlines, fuel production companies, and relevant organisations will also be in attendance as observers. The agenda includes the discussion of five main topics over 17 sessions, focusing on developments in clean energy production, necessary policies to support the transit
ion to low-carbon fuel production, sustainable fuel, and other types of clean fuels (such as hydrogen). The discussions will also address ways for countries to support their capacity building for clean energy production for aviation, necessary financing mechanisms, and a review of ICAO’s ambitious long-term goal of achieving carbon-neutral emissions by 2050.
The inaugural edition of this conference took place in Brazil in 2009, followed by the second edition in Mexico in 2017. The world eagerly anticipates the third and special edition, as it comes immediately after the General Assembly’s 41st session in 2022 for the ICAO, concerning the Net zero emissions by 2050. This edition aims to foster international consensus on the necessity of investing in the development and production of low-carbon alternative fuels for aircraft. It is expected that the third edition of the conference will conclude with the announcement of a clear global framework for the transition towards alternative and low-carbon fuels in the
aviation sector.
Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, stated: “The aviation industry plays a crucial role in supporting international efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and the UAE is making intensive efforts to develop the national regulatory environment for the production of sustainable aviation fuel in line with our national ambitions to promote the transition to clean energy. This serves our efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.”
He added that the UAE adopts a balanced approach to explore future opportunities for sustainable aviation fuel, improving carbon intensity in hydrocarbon-based aviation fuels. This represents a key aspect of the rapid transformation in the energy sector towards clean energy. He continued, “The third ICAO conference on aviation and alternative fuels provides an ideal platform to stimulate international efforts towards transitioning to clean energy use in the aviation sector, serving the ambitious goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions
in the aviation sector by 2050.”
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, the Minister of Economy and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE, stated that the unprecedented developmental challenges facing the world today due to the repercussions of climate change leave us with no choice but to transition towards a low-carbon economic model. He noted that amid international efforts to find a realistic approach to this transition, capable of meeting developmental and economic needs, civil aviation remains a major challenge for policymakers and investors. This is because it represents a fundamental pillar of comprehensive and globally sustainable economic growth.
He affirmed, during his opening speech, that climate change is currently among the top priorities of the wise leadership of the UAE. The country is making serious efforts to accelerate the transition towards a new low-carbon economic model, with the aviation sector being a key component of this model. He explained that the UAE was among the fir
st countries to adopt the sustainability agenda and consider the environmental impact in the aviation sector. The UAE actively participated in all negotiations led by the ICAO, endorsing all international decisions that support this direction. It was also one of the first countries to declare its commitment in 2016 to implement the CORSIA plan for carbon offsetting in international air transport.
Moreover, the UAE launched the National Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap, setting an ambitious goal to achieve an annual production of up to 700 million liters of sustainable aviation fuel by 2030. This initiative is expected to contribute to reducing up to 4.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, the aviation sector announced its commitment to achieving zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.
He continued, “This government commitment has been accompanied by parallel efforts from the private sector in our country, where our national companies heavily invest in research and development activities
, enhance infrastructure, and develop international partnerships to support the production and use of sustainable fuel.” He added, We have great confidence that international cooperation under the umbrella of the International Civil Aviation Organization will make significant progress in this file, finding innovative solutions to its challenges.”
Bin Touq emphasised that this massive international gathering of senior officials and representatives from the global aviation community within the activities of the third edition of the Aviation and Alternative Fuels Conference will be a pivotal milestone in the future of the aviation and travel industry. It will propel us into a new phase of producing aviation fuel that is more sustainable and low-emission, contributing significantly to achieving climate neutrality and fulfilling the commitments made in the General Assembly’s 41st session in 2022 to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO, stated, ‘This is a critical opp
ortunity for States to demonstrate strong leadership through ICAO in their addressing of international aviation emissions, most notably with CAAF/3 taking place just before the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) which is also taking place here in the UAE.” Sciacchitano added, “A successful, robust, and ambitious global framework can only serve to shine a brighter spotlight on our shared efforts and commitment to decarbonizing the sector’.
In a recorded speech for the conference, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: ‘Let me begin by commending last year’s decision by the General Assembly of the ICAO to adopt the ambitious global goal of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050. Achieving this ambitious goal will be a massive task for the aviation sector, which contributes 2% of total carbon emissions. It is one of the sectors posing a significant challenge for carbon reduction, but with innovation and investment, everything can be achieved.’
Guterres continued: “Achieving a zero-
emission aviation sector requires a global shift towards clean energy. This necessitates new economic policies and supportive laws capable of fostering this transformation, creating economic opportunities, and attracting investments. Therefore, we look forward to the global framework that will emerge from this conference to support the transition towards alternative aviation fuels, which will be a decisive step towards a more prosperous and sustainable future for this vital sector.”
The Secretary-General of the UN added, “The convening of this conference just days before COP28 makes the current time most opportune to translate this global ambition into realistic and implementable plans. It is time to find the path leading to zero carbon emissions by 2050 and build a better and more sustainable future for us all.”
Additionally, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, also participated in the conference through a recorded statement, in which he affirmed that the civil aviation sec
tor has made tangible progress in environmental protection, especially after the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. He pointed out that the ICAO and its member states have demonstrated a serious and responsible commitment to the issue of climate change.
He added that the landmark decision of ICAO in 2016 regarding the “CORSIA” plan, a scheme for compensating and reducing carbon emissions in the aviation sector, is considered the only global action based on market mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions. This plan received broad international response, with 126 volunteer countries from around the world participating in its implementation. Additionally, the decision of the ICAO General Assembly last year to commit to the Long-Term Aviation Goals (LTAG) for achieving zero carbon emissions in the aviation sector by 2050 reflects the collective ambition of ICAO member states to make real progress in this field, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the sustainability path of the aviation sector. He emphasized tha
t the time has come to turn this ambition into reality.
The former UN Secretary-General further emphasised that there has been tangible progress in developing low-carbon and sustainable fuel solutions. He called for enhanced collaboration between governments, airlines, fuel companies, manufacturers, and financial institutions to sustain this progress and achieve ambitious goals. He acknowledged the enormity of the challenge but stressed that collective cooperation enables us to overcome it. Ban Ki-moon concluded his address by expressing gratitude to all participants in the third conference on aviation and alternative fuels, expressing optimism about the outcomes of this edition in providing an advanced and ambitious framework that serves the efforts towards sustainable aviation.
Majid Al Suwaidi, Director-General and Special Representative of COP28, emphasised, ‘The first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement has shown that the world is not on track to meet our climate goals. We still have time to change
course, provided we respond to the challenge before us with the highest levels of ambition and embrace it as a shared opportunity. This is what the COP28 Presidency has set out to achieve, by forging partnerships and consensus for collective climate action.’
He continued, stating that the COP28 Presidency has developed a four-pillar action plan which includes: fast-tracking a just and orderly energy transition; fixing climate finance; focusing on people, nature, lives and livelihoods; and underpinning everything with full inclusivity.
Al Suwaidi emphasised that the ‘energy transition has to happen everywhere, in heavy-emitting industries, on our roads and in our skies’, stressing the need for the aviation sector to shift towards Lower Carbon Aviation Fuel, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and other cleaner energies to support the industry’s climate goals. He added, ‘No country, company, or individual can tackle a challenge of this scale alone, and no one should be left behind.’
Adding that ‘coordination, c
ollaboration and partnerships are mission-critical’, he pointed to the UAE-US Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) initiative as an example of the type of partnerships required. One of PACE’s pillars is tackling industrial and transportation decarbonization by encouraging investment and project-level collaboration to scale-up the production of clean fuels in long distance transport sectors.
The COP28 Director-General called on member states of the ICAO and leaders in the aviation and energy sectors to unite at COP28 in a collective effort to accelerate decarbonization efforts. COP28’s two-week program will feature a Transport Day on December 6, bringing together representatives from diverse sectors to explore industries including the aviation sector can achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
The opening ceremony, held at La Perle Theater in Al Habtoor City, Dubai, witnessed the audience embarking on a journey into the future through a short video presentation showing the traveler’s future experienc
e. The event concluded with a spectacular performance by the La Perle show, showcasing intense and captivating creative scenes over a 12-minute duration.
This edition of the conference is organised under the patronage of several sponsors supporting this event. Airbus, Flydubai, ENOC, and Platinum Business Art are among the Platinum Partners. Etihad Airways, ADNOC, Unified Aviation, Air Arabia, Sky Dive, and AeroSPARX are recognized as Gold Partners. Abu Dhabi Airports, Boeing, Safran, AO Drones, Tadawi Healthcare, and IATA are acknowledged as Silver Partners. In addition, Emirates News Agency (WAM) and Sky News Arabia are media partners.
Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM)