ICAO and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) have announced the completion of a new digital air cargo technical specifications guidance that will help to accelerate the transition towards safer and more resilient supply chains through contactless air cargo processes.

ICAO said the digital innovations will permit the air transport sector to transition away from long-standing paper-based documents used to facilitate the movement of global air freight, promoting a contactless air cargo environment and greater cross-border trade resilience in the face of future pandemic threats.

In a statement, the UN agency noted that in line with the recommendations of the ICAO Council's Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART), the specifications will help reduce physical contact among international trade and transport professionals, and in so doing better protect the fluidity of cross-border trade and international transport operations from pandemic-related restrictions.

"The latest innovations reflect ICAO's integrated, collaborative, and multilateral approach to transport policies encompassing air cargo and mail supply chains, and will play an important part in addressing both current and future pandemic risks," said ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar.

"It's our expectation that they will help address the tremendous double strain now being placed on global supply chains, whether by the Covid-19 pandemic itself, or the incredible surge in international e-commerce which has accompanied it."

Meanwhile, UNECE Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova noted how the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of harmonized approaches to ensure resilient transport connectivity across all modes, and has further underscored the critical role of accelerated digitalization.

"I am proud of the contribution of the practical tools developed with the support of UNECE's United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT). UNECE looks forward to building on this successful cooperation with ICAO for seamless multimodal transport and trade to drive countries’ sustainable socioeconomic recovery efforts," he said.

 
ICAO said itss collaboration with UNECE on supply chain digitalization is an outcome of the Joint Statement on the Contribution of International Trade and Supply Chains to a Sustainable Socioeconomic Recovery in Covid-19 Times, which was signed by eight UN agencies in September 2020. 

These latest results will see digital specifications replacing the formerly paper-based Air Waybill (AWB), Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD), and the Consignment Security Declaration (CSD).

These in turn form part of a broader suite of deliverables for multimodal transport data sharing, applicable to air, road, rail, maritime,  and inland water transport, ICAO said.