Joint 11th Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and 29th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol
20 – 24 November 2017, ICAO Headquarters, Montreal, Quebec; Canada
23 & 24 November - High-Level Segment
14 November 2017 –One year after they reached a landmark agreement (the Kigali Amendment) to phase down climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the 197 parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer will meet in Montreal, Canada, to enhance their efforts to protect the ozone layer and to mitigate climate change.
Among the issues the parties will consider are: the funding level for the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol for the 2018 to 2020 triennium to support developing countries in their efforts to continue the phase-out of ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and to initiate enabling activities for the phase-down of HFCs.
The parties will also consider other critical issues such as the status of ratification of the Kigali Amendment, energy efficiency in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump sectors, the safety standards relevant to low-global-warming-potential alternatives to ozone depleting substances, and research and systematic observations of the ozone layer, as it is through the observations that scientists can monitor the recovery of the ozone layer and the interaction between ozone and climate.
Ministerial round table discussion
Environment ministers from around the world will participate in a ministerial round table discussion on the theme “Montreal Protocol at 30: Identifying future opportunities and priorities” on 23 November, after the opening of the high-level segment of the meeting at 10:00 a.m.
Ministers Khachik Hakobyan (Armenia), Catherine McKenna (Canada), Meelis Münt (Estonia), Sydney Alexander Samuels Milson (Guatemala), Abdullah Ziyad (Maldives) and Vincent Biruta (Rwanda) will be joined by Head of UN Environment Erik Solheim in the round table discussion that will be moderated by Leyla Acaroglu, UN Environment Champion of the Earth for 2016.
Science panel discussion
On the same day, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., top scientists from various countries will hold a panel discussion on the theme “The scientific foundation of the Montreal Protocol: past, present, and future”.
The discussion will look at the effect of the changing atmospheric composition on the ozone layer; ozone depletion and climate change; and observations and monitoring needs for ozone layer protection and recovery.
Ozone Awards 2017
Every 10 years, the Ozone Secretariat gives awards to individuals and organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary commitment and contribution to the progress and achievements of the Montreal Protocol. The 2017 Ozone Awards ceremony will take place from 6:30 p.m. on the same day.
As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Protocol this year, there is a lot of good news to celebrate. The Protocol has led to the phase-out of more than 99 per cent of nearly 100 ozone-depleting chemicals and significantly contributed to climate change mitigation. As of today, the ozone layer is showing signs of healing and is set to recover by the middle of the century.
In addition, the Protocol has contributed significantly to the mitigation of climate change by averting more than 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (as some ozone-depleting substances are also powerful greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere from 1990 to 2010.
And as a result of ozone protection efforts under the Protocol, up to 2 million cases of skin cancer may be prevented globally each year by 2030.
For more information please contact:
Dan Teng’o, Ozone Secretariat, UN Environment, +254 709 023 532, dan.tengo[at]unep.org
