Caribbean Ozone Officers Network Meet on Montreal Protocol Implementation

KINGSTOWN, SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENDADINES, 1 June 2018 — UN Environment’s OzonAction in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, hosted the Thematic Network Meeting of National Ozone Officers of the English-speaking Caribbean and Haiti from 30th May to 1st June 2018, in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The focus of the meeting was to address, among other important matters, the design and establishment of Electronic Licensing Systems that will enhance countries´ implementation of their licensing and quota systems, monitoring of illegal trade and transition into the phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as called for under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The phase-down of HFCs under the Protocol could contribute to the avoidance of up to 0.5°C of global warming by the end of the century,

The Meeting recognized the three countries that have already ratified the Kigali Amendment from the Region, namely Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Grenada and other countries were encouraged to take the necessary steps at the national level to ratify the Kigali Amendment as early as possible.

The meeting also strengthened and enhanced the capacities of Governments to achieve and sustain their HCFCs phase-out commitments under the Montreal Protocol and reviewed existing HCFCs policy and legislative frameworks to determine what is needed to meet the requirements under the Kigali Amendment. It is expected that this will assist Governments in the Caribbean, as Article 5 Parties. to achieve future HCFC and HFC reduction targets.

Participants at the meeting included National Ozone Officers and Assistants, as well as Customs Officers from 13 Caribbean Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago (Bureau of Standard Officer). Also in attendance were representatives from regional and international agencies including the Ozone Secretariat, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Marco A. Pinzon, Montreal Protocol Coordinator (Caribbean)
OzonAction
UN Environment, Office of Latin America and the Caribbean
Tel: +507 305 3154
Email: marco.pinzon@un.org

Donnalyn Charles, Programme Officer
OzonAction UN Environment, Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
Tel: +507 305 3163
Email: donnalyn.charles@un.org