International Civil Aviation Day is observed globally on December 7 each year. It is observed by organizations such as the ICAO.

UN Sponsor: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Event URL: www.icao.int

From: 7-Dec-2011 TO: 7-Dec-2011

International Civil Aviation Day 2011
What do people do?

ICAO, with support from governments, organizations, businesses and individuals, actively promotes International Civil Aviation Day through various activities and events. This day is celebrated globally, especially in countries such as South Africa, through various activities such as seminars, published material, educational lectures, classroom activities, and news announcements on international civil aviation topics related to the day.

Public life

International Civil Aviation Day is a global observance and not a public holiday.



ICAO was established on December 7, 1944, to secure international cooperation and uniformity in civil aviation matters. The International Services Transit Agreement and the International Air Transport Agreement were also signed. In 1994 ICAO established International Civil Aviation Day by to mark the organization’s 50th anniversary.


International Civil Aviation Day was established in 1994 by ICAO, through Assembly Resolution A29-1, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Organization, created on 7 December 1944. In 1996, pursuant to an ICAO initiative and with the assistance of the Canadian Government, the United Nations General Assembly by resolution officially recognized 7 December as International Civil Aviation Day and listed it as an official UN day. The purpose of the global celebration is to generate and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of international civil aviation in the social and economic development of States, and of the role of ICAO in promoting the safety, efficiency and regularity of international air transport.

This observance aims to generate and reinforce global awareness of the importance of international civil aviation in the social and economic development . The day also commemorates the ICAO’s role in promoting the safety, efficiency and regularity of international air transport.

In 1996 the UN General Assembly proclaimed December 7 as International Civil Aviation Day, in accordance with an ICAO initiative and with the Canadian Government’s assistance. The assembly urged governments and organizations to observe the day. This day is now an official UN day.

ICAO is a UN body that works closely with other United Nations members including the World Meteorological Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, the Universal Postal Union, the World Health Organization and the International Maritime Organization.

Symbols

The ICAO logo is often associated with marketing and promotional material for this event. It is similar to the UN logo in that the ICAO logo has a pair of aircraft wings superimposed on the UN logo. The UN logo features a projection of a world map (less Antarctica) centered on the North Pole, inscribed in a wreath consisting of crossed conventionalized branches of the olive tree. The olive branches symbolize peace and the world map depicts the area of concern to the UN in achieving its main purpose, peace and security. The projection of the map extends to 60 degrees south latitude, and includes five concentric circles.

Over the years the ICAO logo has been published in different variations. In 1995 ICAO recognized the introduction of Arabic and Chinese as the organization’s working languages and this was reflected on the logo – both languages are found in the logo to describe ICAO.

Note: Although International Civil Aviation Day became an official UN day in 1996, many people celebrated the day since 1994.

International Civil Aviation Day Observances

INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION DAY THEMES

2009 — "65 years of empowering the global community through aviation"
International Civil Aviation Day 2009 highlights ICAO's historic contribution to the global community



2008 — "Tomorrow's Aviation — a world of opportunity for skilled aviation personnel"
Careers in air transport promising as demand for skilled aviation professionals grows



2007 — "Global Air Transport — a driver of sustainable economic, social and cultural development"
2007 International Civil Aviation Day focuses on benefits of air transport around the world



2006 — "Safety and security – first and always the top priority"
2006 International Civil Aviation Day focuses on aviation safety and security to preserve growing benefits of air transport.


2005 — "The Greening of Flight — maximizing compatiblity between safe and orderly development of civil aviation and the quality of the environment"
International Civil Aviation Day calls for the greening of aviation.


2004 — "International Cooperation: Solutions to Global Aviation Challenges"
International Civil Aviation Day 2004 Celebrates Cooperation among Nations of the World.


2003 — "For 60 Years... Setting the Standards for International Civil Aviation"
International Civil Aviation Day 2003 Bridges Two Milestones in Aviation History.


2002 — "One Hundred Years of Powered, Controlled and Sustained Flight"


2001 — "Flight Between Nations - Dialogue Between Peoples"

"Flight Between Nations - Dialogue Between Peoples": The Theme for the 2001 Edition of International Civil Aviation Day.


2000 — "Implementing ICAO SARPs - the Key to Aviation Safety and Efficiency"
"Implementing SARPS - the Key to Aviation Safety and Efficiency": The Theme for the 2000 Edition of International Civil Aviation Day.



1999 — "Promoting Global Frienship and Understanding"
"Promoting Global Friendship and Understanding".


1998 — "Flying Safely into the 21st Century"
"Flying Safely into the 21st Century": The Theme for the 1998 Edition of International Civil Aviation Day.


1997 — "Enhancing Flight Safety through Global Cooperation"

"Enhancing Flight Safety Through Global Co-operation": The Theme of International Civil Aviation Day - 7 December 1997.

1996 — "Using Satellites to Make Civil Aviation Safer"

"Using Satellites to Make Civil Aviation Safer": Theme of 1996 International Civil Aviation Day.


1995 — "The Aeroplane in Our Lives"
On International Civil Aviation Day 1995, ICAO Well Placed to Meet the Needs of the Global Air transport Industry.


1994 — 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Chigago Convention
United Nations Secretary-General Will Attend ICAO's 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

Serving the humanitarian community - WFP LOGISTICS

Desert, swamp or jungle, to get food to the hungry, WFP's logistics team has to negotiate some of the toughest terrain on the planet.

In 2011, WFP aims to reach more than 90 million beneficiaries in 74 countries. To achieve this goal, WFP will rely on its impressive logistics capacity.

When the areas needing food are not accessible by road, rail or river, other methods are brought into play. An emergency may require a cargo drop from aircraft or a helicopter airlift, but there are other options too. Locally engaged porters, as well as teams of elephants, yak, donkeys and camels are also used when necessary.

Always on the move

On any given day WFP operates an average of:

60 aircraft
40 ships
5,000 trucks

The different ways WFP transports food can be grouped into three categories: surface transport, shipping and aviation.

Rapid response

About half the food distributed by WFP is sourced directly within the country or region where it is needed. The other half, sourced internationally, is shipped by sea and unloaded in 78 cargo ports around the world.

Thanks to a range of strategies, WFP is always able to provide a rapid response to hunger emergencies. A key element in this response is the WFP-managed network of UN Humanitarian Response Depots. These are hubs, positioned near disaster-prone areas around the world, where emergency supplies are stored in readiness.

Serving the humanitarian community

WFP's expertise in logistics meant that in 2005 the agency was mandated to lead logistics operations whenever a humanitarian emergency requires a joint response from UN agencies and the humanitarian community. The group of agencies or organisations which work together is called the Logistics Cluster.

WFP also provides passenger air transport to the entire humanitarian community through the UN Humanitarian Air Service (see video on right), which goes to more than 200 locations worldwide.

For more detailed information on logistics see WFP Logistics.