The International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN Specialized Agency, is the global forum for civil aviation.

ICAO works to achieve its vision of safe, secure and sustainable development of civil aviation through cooperation amongst its member States.

To implement this vision, the Organization has established the following Strategic Objectives for the period 2005-2010:

• Safety - Enhance global civil aviation safety
• Security - Enhance global civil aviation security
• Environmental Protection - Minimize the adverse effect of global civil aviation on the environment
• Efficiency - Enhance the efficiency of aviation operations
• Continuity - Maintain the continuity of aviation operations
• Rule of Law - Strengthen law governing international civil aviation

The constitution of ICAO is the Convention on International Civil Aviation, drawn up by a conference in Chicago in November and December 1944, and to which each ICAO Contracting State is a party. According to the terms of the Convention, the Organization is made up of an Assembly, a Council of limited membership with various subordinate bodies and a Secretariat. The chief officers are the President of the Council and the Secretary General.

ICAO works in close co-operation with other members of the United Nations family such as the World Meteorological Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, the Universal Postal Union, the World Health Organization and the International Maritime Organization. Non-governmental organizations which also participate in ICAO's work include the International Air Transport Association, the Airports Council International, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, and the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations.

Website:  www.icao.int

IATA is an international trade body, created some 60 years ago by a group of airlines. Today, IATA represents some 240 airlines comprising 94% of scheduled international air traffic. The organisation also represents, leads and serves the airline industry in general.

Board of Governors

The IATA Board of Governors is IATA's government.  Its members exercise an oversight and executive role on behalf of the membership as a whole in representing the interests of the Association.

Environment Priorities for 2008

• Achieve a reduction of at least 6 million tonnes of CO2 from operations and infrastructure
• Implement a strategy to reach carbon neutral growth
• Develop standards and guidelines for an industry carbon offset programme and pilot it with at least 6 airlines in four different regions

Website:  http://www.iata.org

Parties
The Convention divides countries into three main groups according to differing commitments:

Annex I Parties include the industrialized countries that were members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 1992, plus countries with economies in transition (the EIT Parties), including the Russian Federation, the Baltic States, and several Central and Eastern European States.

Annex II Parties consist of the OECD members of Annex I, but not the EIT Parties. They are required to provide financial resources to enable developing countries to undertake emissions reduction activities under the Convention and to help them adapt to adverse effects of climate change. In addition, they have to "take all practicable steps" to promote the development and transfer of environmentally friendly technologies to EIT Parties and developing countries. Funding provided by Annex II Parties is channelled mostly through the Convention’s financial mechanism.

Non-Annex I Parties are mostly developing countries. Certain groups of developing countries are recognized by the Convention as being especially vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, including countries with low-lying coastal areas and those prone to desertification and drought. Others (such as countries that rely heavily on income from fossil fuel production and commerce) feel more vulnerable to the potential economic impacts of climate change response measures. The Convention emphasizes activities that promise to answer the special needs and concerns of these vulnerable countries, such as investment, insurance and technology transfer.

The 48 Parties, classified as least developed countries (LDCs) by the United Nations, are given special consideration under the Convention on account of their limited capacity to respond to climate change and adapt to its adverse effects. Parties are urged to take full account of the special situation of LDCs when considering funding and technology-transfer activities.

Observer Organizations
Several categories of observer organizations also attend sessions of the COP and its subsidiary bodies. These include representatives of United Nations secretariat units and bodies, such as UNDP, UNEP and UNCTAD, as well as its specialized agencies and related organizations, such as the GEF and WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Observer organizations also include intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), such as the OECD and its International Energy Agency (IEA), along with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Since COP 11 and CMP 1, over 750 NGOs and 56 IGOs are admitted as observers. The NGOs represent a broad spectrum of interests, and embrace representatives from business and industry, environmental groups, indigenous populations, local governments and municipal authorities, research and academic institutes, parliaments, labour unions, faith groups, women and youth. Constituency groupings have emerged to facilitate interaction.

Website:  http://www.unfccc.int

The First Congress is a start for creating a fusion between Business, Government and Science to recognize the gravity of the climate problem and provide suggestions for effective, efficient and equitable solutions.

The Congress is unique in that it searches for establishing a framework to combine the contributions of business, technology, science and government in seeking opportunities for effective policies and investments in the context of current world economic conditions.

The practical Goal of the Congress is to develop a World Joint Climate Protection Strategy with subsequent recommendations.

The congress is focused on the challenges and opportunities for business and government leaders to mitigate and adapt to climate change and its impact on their organizations.

http://www.euroakadem.com/climate

The IPCC was established to provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change. The IPCC does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters. Its role is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic literature produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change, its observed and projected impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. IPCC reports should be neutral with respect to policy, although they need to deal objectively with policy relevant scientific, technical and socio economic factors. They should be of high scientific and technical standards, and aim to reflect a range of views, expertise and wide geographical coverage.

The IPCC is a scientific intergovernmental body set up by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Its constituency is made of :

• The governments: the IPCC is open to all member countries of WMO and UNEP. Governments of participate in plenary Sessions of the IPCC where main decisions about the IPCC workprogramme are taken and reports are accepted, adopted and approved. They also participate the review of IPCC Reports.
• The scientists: hundreds of scientists all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC as authors, contributors and reviewers.
• The people: as United Nations body, the IPCC work aims at the promotion of the United Nations human development goals

Website:  http://www.ipcc.ch

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development.

The Council provides a platform for companies to explore sustainable development, share knowledge, experiences and best practices, and to advocate business positions on these issues in a variety of forums, working with governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations.

Members are drawn from more than 35 countries and 20 major industrial sectors. The Council also benefits from a global network of about 55 national and regional business councils and regional partners.

The Council’s objectives are to:

• Be a leading business advocate on sustainable development;
• Participate in policy development to create the right framework conditions for business to make an effective contribution to sustainable human progress;
• Develop and promote the business case for sustainable development;
• Demonstrate the business contribution to sustainable development solutions and share leading edge practices among members;
• Contribute to a sustainable future for developing nations and nations in transition.