The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recognized International Civil Aviation Day on Friday by encouraging outreach to ensure the continued globalization of air transportation and highlighting a need to focus on the development of skills and capabilities.

ICAO continued a theme of “Working Together to Ensure No Country is Left Behind” for this year’s aviation day, and in a joint statement Council president Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu and secretary general Fang Liu noted that 4.1 billion passengers and 56 million tonnes of freight were carried last year with no signs of slowing down.

“But in order to take advantage of this growth and optimize it for their local businesses and populations, governments must commit to raising their levels of ICAO compliance to be in line with global norms,” the leaders said. “Improving local skills and capabilities to assure ICAO compliance can be a daunting task for many developing states."

The No Country Left Behind theme acknowledges these challenges while encouraging assistance from more developed states, they said. These efforts are working to expand travel to more countries, they agreed. Availability of highly trained skilled local resources also is a factor in the ability of states to implement emerging technologies, such as drones, they added.

Noting ICAO will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, the leaders said the organization is planning a series of new youth-oriented innovation contests in 2019 to spur interest in the industry.