State Action Plans and Assistance
Global Engagement in the State Action Plan Initiative
The ICAO State Action Plan initiative is one of ICAO’s most successful voluntary climate action programmes, demonstrating strong global commitment to aviation decarbonization. The current status of State Action Plan submissions is detailed in the dashboard below.
What are State Action Plans?
State Action Plans are voluntary strategic documents developed by ICAO Member States to outline their national long-term strategies in reducing CO2 emissions from international aviation. They serve as a framework for setting emissions reduction targets, selecting mitigation measures, and engaging relevant national stakeholders.
The purpose of ICAO’s State Action Plan initiative is to help States:
- Define a Baseline: Establish projected CO2 emissions in the absence of any mitigation action.
- Select Mitigation Measures: Choose suitable actions from ICAO’s basket of measures to reduce emissions.
- Quantify Impact (Expected Results): Calculate the expected CO2 reduction benefits from implementing selected measures.
- Notify ICAO of Assistance Needs: Identify technical, financial, or capacity-building support required for the implementation of mitigation measures.
Tracking Global Progress Through State Action Plans
The purpose of ICAO’s State Action Plan initiative is to also help ICAO to track global progress. The quantified information submitted in State Action Plans enables ICAO to compile global progress toward its aspirational climate goals, including:
- 2% annual fuel efficiency improvement,
- Carbon neutral growth from 2020 onwards,
- Collective Long-Term Global Aspirational Goal (LTAG) of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and
- 5% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 through the use of aviation cleaner energies.
Why State Action Plans Are Important?
With the adoption of ICAO’s Long-Term Global Aspirational Goal (LTAG) and the ICAO Global Framework for SAF, LCAF and other Aviation Cleaner Energies, State Action Plans have become even more critical. They now serve as strategic tools for:
- Tracking Progress toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
- Monitoring Collective Advancement toward the near-term goal of a 5% CO₂ emissions reduction by 2030 through aviation cleaner energies.
- Accessing Support via ICAO’s ACT-SAF programme for sustainable aviation fuels.
- Unlocking Financing for decarbonization projects through ICAO’s FINVEST Platform (Finvest Hub).
ICAO Support for State Action Plan Development
To assist its 193 Member States, ICAO developed the Guidance on the Development of State Action Plan on CO2 Emissions Reduction Activities: Towards LTAG Implementation (Doc 9988). This guidance provides:
- A step-by-step approach to developing a State Action Plan.
- Standard templates for harmonized emissions reporting.
- Guidance on incorporating SAF, LCAF, and other aviation cleaner energies.
- Support for identifying technical assistance needs.
- Good practices and lessons learned from over a decade of implementation.
Additional Resources and Assistance
ICAO also offers:
- Quantification tools to support emissions calculations.
- A dedicated FAQ page answering key questions about State Action Plan development.
- Capacity Building Projects, launched in partnership with international organizations since 2014, to provide funding and technical support for States with limited resources.
- ICAO E-Learning Course on State Action Plans, a dedicated training programme to guide States through the planning and submission process
Contact Us
For any additional questions related to the State Action Plan initiative, please contact ICAO at actionplan [at] icao.int (actionplan[at]icao[dot]int).
The table below provides an overview of all States that have submitted and/or updated a State Action Plan to ICAO on CO2 Emissions Reduction Activities for international aviation to date. All State Action Plans are considered confidential, unless the State grants specific permission to share their State Action Plan publically. Where States have decided to make their Action Plan publicly available, a hyperlink is provided directly linking to the document.