In the interest of ICAO's "No Country Left Behind" initiative, ICAO Environment carries out a number of capacity-building and assistance activities. These assistance activities are most often related to the ICAO State Action Plan initiative and Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

ACT-SAF - ICAO Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels   The ICAO ACT-SAF Programme was launched on 1st June 2022. It provides opportunities for States to develop their full potential in SAF development and deployment, in line with the ICAO’s No Country Left Behind initiative, the 2050 ICAO Vision for SAF, and the three main pillars of sustainable development recognized by the United Nations.

ICAO – European Union (EU) project

Since 2013, ICAO in partnership with the European Union (EU) has provided capacity building assistance to its member States for the development of States' Action Plans to mitigate CO₂ from international aviation under the ICAO Assistance Project with the EU Funding. Fully funded by the EU, the first phase of the Assistance Project supported 14 States from Africa and the Caribbean and the second phase is under implementation in 10 African States. Phase I concluded on 30 June 2019, meeting all its expected results and exceeding some of the initial targets. Phase II was launched in 2020. 
 

• ICAO Assistance Project with the European Union (EU) Funding, phase I (2013-2019)
• ICAO Assistance Project with the European Union (EU) Funding, phase II (2020-2023) 

ICAO-UNDP Project

The GEF funded, ICAO – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project, Transforming the Global Aviation Sector: Emissions Reductions from International Aviation was aimed at assisting developing States and Small Island Developing States (SIDs) in their challenges to reduce aviation emissions. It included the development of guidance documents and supporting mechanisms to assist the identification and implementation of measures to reduce aviation CO₂ emissions, as well as a practical pilot project in Jamaica, consisting of the implementation of a renewable energy project that could be replicated in other States. 

ACT-CORSIA

Upon adoption, in June 2018, of the CORSIA-related Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) contained in Annex 16, Volume IV of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the ICAO Council endorsed the ICAO ACT-CORSIA (Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for the CORSIA) Programme, in recognition of the fact that a number of ICAO Member States would need targeted assistance in order to prepare for CORSIA implementation, especially taking into account that work on the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system in CORSIA would start as early as 1 January 2019.

In endorsing the ACT-CORSIA programme, the ICAO Council emphasized the importance of a coordinated approach under ICAO to harmonize and bring together all relevant actions and promote coherence to capacity building efforts related to CORSIA implementation.

The ACT-CORSIA Programme is composed of various elements, which are intended to facilitate a better understanding and the access to information on CORSIA, including: the establishment of CORSIA Buddy Partnerships, the availability of model regulations, Frequently Asked Questions, brochures and leaflets, videos, materials used in the various CORSIA seminars and workshops, online tutorials, and other background information.

Click here for more information about the different elements in the ACT-CORSIA Programme
 

ICAO State Action Plan Buddy Programme 

The ICAO State Action Plan Buddy Programme invites States that have not yet developed, or are in the process of developing, a State Action Plan to establish a partnership with a State that has already developed and submitted a State Action Plan to ICAO. States interested in participating as beneficiaries or supporters of the State Action Plan Buddy Programme are invited to contact ICAO at actionplan [at] icao.int (actionplan[at]icao[dot]int). More details on these partnerships are provided on the Buddy Partnerships webpage.

CORSIA Buddy Partnerships

Based on the success of the ICAO State Action Plan Buddy programme, ICAO has also established CORSIA Buddy Partnerships to support States with their preparations for CORSIA Implementation. More details on these partnerships are provided on the Buddy Partnerships webpage.