A three-day international workshop on alternative aviation fuels opened in Montreal Tuesday in preparations for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012.

The meeting, hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) at its Montreal headquarters, was attended by fuel producers, aircraft manufacturers and other experts. The topics range from the state of the global harmonization of life cycle analysis methodologies, access to financing, sustainability criteria, to legal and regulatory frameworks which ensure the availability of supplies of such fuels.

Participants would also talk about the role of sustainable alternative fuels as part of the measures available to ICAO members for inclusion in their action plans to reduce CO2 emissions.

In a video speech, Sha Zukang, UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs and secretary-general of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, told participants the UN will provide guidance on a green development path.

"The ultimate goal for the UN system should be the ability to present a concrete menu of policy options that assists all countries," he said. "The UN system has to lead by example."

Raymond Benjamin, ICAO secretary general, said that progress can be made by a single sector if there is willingness to take advantage of a valuable opportunity for collective action towards a common goal.

The ICAO has so far identified 300 initiatives on alternative fuel production and deployment, and there are now five major consortia which are working on alternative fuels for aviation.

Commercial flights using alternative fuels are no longer just a concept. Almost 30 test flights have successfully taken place and, this year, some commercial scheduled flights using these fuels are in full operation.

As a specialized agency of the UN, the ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world.

It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency and regularity, as well as for aviation environmental protection. The organization also serves as the cooperation forum in all fields of civil aviation among its 190 member states.