MONTRÉAL, 27 March 2015 – The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) wound up an important meeting in Madagascar this week, focusing on the Sustainable Development of Air Transport in Africa, which resulted in the adoption of a new Declaration on the Sustainable Development of Air Transport in Africa.
The event was organized in cooperation with Madagascar’s Civil Aviation Authority and Ministry of Tourism, Transport and Meteorology, and featured the participation of 34 States, 15 international organizations, as well as the air transport industry, academia, exhibitors and sponsors.
To highlight their ongoing collaborative efforts and the critical connectivity links between air transport and tourism, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) was invited by ICAO to participate in the meeting.
“Enhanced air transport connectivity and competitiveness is especially crucial for the sustainable economic development of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), a situation particularly prevalent in Africa,” commented ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu. “It is also very relevant to the situation of Madagascar and its neighbours of the Indian Ocean. I would stress in this regard that ICAO fully supports the holistic concept of Vanilla Islands – a cooperative approach to highlight the tourism potential of this region which is well-aligned with ICAO’s connectivity and sustainable development goals.”
The meeting was chaired by James Andrianalisoa, Madagascar's Director of Civil Aviation. Participants have further agreed to meet on the topic at two year intervals in order to assess implementation progress and review new actions being proposed.
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