ACT-SAF Launch

In 2019, the 40th Session of the ICAO Assembly requested the ICAO Council to explore the feasibility of a long-term global aspirational goal for international aviation (LTAG), and the progress of work will be presented to the upcoming ICAO High Level Meeting on LTAG (HLM-LTAG) and to the 41^st Session of the ICAO Assembly (A41). 

In this regard, the twelfth meeting of the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP/12) in February 2022 unanimously adopted the technical report on the feasibility of LTAG, highlighting the potential for substantial CO₂ reductions scenarios through the use of aviation in-sector measures including innovative technologies, operations and fuels. The LTAG report is now available to the public on the ICAO website and forms the basis for any further ICAO discussion on LTAG. The report foresees the largest CO2 reductions by 2050 coming from fuels and cleaner energy sources, of up to 55 per cent, while new aircraft technologies are also expected to contribute to another CO₂ reduction of up to 21 per cent, as well as operational improvements of up to 11 per cent. 

The importance of Sustainable Avition Fuel (SAF) is unequivocal, and future work will leverage the many successes of the sector, which began with Rio+20, proving that sustainable aviation fuels are technically feasible. With the LTAG Report also showing SAF to likely be the main contributor to reducing CO₂ emissions, now is the time to bring all States and stakeholders together to fully realize the potential of SAF. 

In June 2022, the Stockholm+50 international meeting commemorated 50 years since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the first global meeting that made environment a pressing global issue. On 1 June 2022 ICAO organized at its Headquarters a side event officially associated to Stockholm+50, to showcase ICAO’s achievements and further efforts for decarbonizing aviation. On this occasion the “ICAO Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) programme” was officially launched. The event recording is available online on the ICAO TV.

ICAO ACT-SAF will provide 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. As more States and partners get involved in the Programme, ACT-SAF will create positive ripple effects globally, and help unlock feedstock potentials for SAF markets over the coming decades. It will also build upon the action already taken by ICAO on SAF, for example leveraging the successes of the organization in setting global standards for the sustainability of aviation fuels. 

While not one solution will fit all States and stakeholders, the importance of ICAO’s role in bringing partners together, and supporting capacity building and implementation, is very clear. Many States and stakeholders have recognised the need to act now, with the best contribution for Stockholm+50 being the launch of ACT-SAF that will serve as a model to create the synergies for global action now on sustainable fuels. 

With A41 providing the opportunity for a decision on LTAG, the increased ambition on sustainable aviation will allow ICAO to explore extending the existing model used in ACT‑SAF, to galvanize support and implement similar programmes for additional aspects contributing to aviation CO₂ reductions (aircraft technologies and operational improvements). 

Launch of ACT-SAF

Associated Event for the Stockholm+50 Conference

1 June 2022, Montreal, Canada, 1300 to 1400 hrs (EDT)

Watch it on ICAO.TV
 

Event Agenda