U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday hailed the efforts by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to enhance aviation security, saying it will help bring an international framework on the matter.

In a statement, Obama said by adopting the Declaration on Aviation Security Friday, the ICAO "forges a historic new foundation for aviation security that will better protect our world from evolving terrorist threats."

In a general assembly on Friday at its headquarters in Montreal, Canada, ICAO adopted a declaration reaffirming the international commitment to enhance aviation security collaboratively and proactively through screening technologies to detect prohibited articles, strengthening international standards, improving security information-sharing and providing capacity-building assistance to members in need.

The assembly fully supported a comprehensive, new ICAO aviation security strategy with key priorities as identifying and preventing new forms of attack before they occur, streamlining security checks so that they remain effective but are not duplicated unnecessarily, and improving the capabilities of member states to oversee aviation security.

Obama said following the attempted Dec. 25 terrorist attack aboard a U.S. airliner, he directed the Department of Homeland Security to work with ICAO, and other international partners to strengthen international aviation security.

"The extraordinary global collaboration demonstrated by the nearly 190 ICAO countries during the ICAO General Assembly in Montreal has helped to bring about a truly 21st century international aviation security framework that will make air travel safer and more secure than ever before," said Obama.

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