Montréal, 05 October 2016 –The critical contributions made by airports to the sustainable socio-economic development of urban areas (and vice versa) are to be enhanced through a new agreement made by ICAO and UN-Habitat. Initialled at ICAO’s World Aviation Forum by ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu and UN-Habitat’s Deputy Executive Director Dr. Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, the Memorandum of Understanding between the two United Nations bodies will make important contributions to States’ pursuit of the UN’s Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
“Well-managed, ICAO-compliant airports are crucial to global socio-economic development, providing essential links between the world’s markets and peoples,” Liu remarked. “Supported by the transport corridors that link them, airports and urban development go hand-in-hand, and this partnership with UN-Habitat will help bring renewed focus to the role of modernized aviation infrastructure in ensuring the efficient movement of people and goods.”
UN-Habitat has carried out projects across the world on sustainable urbanization, human settlements, redistribution of urbanization dividends and sustainable land use correlations in its quest to achieve socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements and adequate shelter for all. It will thereby bring into the project a wide array of international experience and best practices that will be relevant in achieving project goals.
Pilot project to foster increased cooperation UN-Habitat will work towards examining, identifying and actively promoting synergies between airports and urban development with a view of improving the lives of millions of people and contributing to sustainable development as outlined in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The projected outcome will be new global guidelines for enhancing sustainable development between airports and urban areas.
ICAO and UN-Habitat have kicked-off their collaboration with a joint pilot project involving five airports located in four different African cities –Addis Ababa, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Nairobi. Their goal is to foster increased cooperation between civil aviation, land-use, planning and urban development authorities, as well as international organizations, airlines and aircraft manufacturers. The ICAO and UN-Habitat agreement will be formally signed at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat-III), which will take place between 17th – 20th October in Quito, Ecuador.