Montreal Protocol and OzonAction
Compliance Assistance Programme
Montreal Protocol on Substances that
Deplete the Ozone Layer
The Montreal Protocol is an international
treaty that is successfully protecting the Earth's stratospheric ozone
layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone depleting
chemicals, including CFCs, HCFCs, halons and methyl bromide. The treaty
was opened for signature on September 16, 1987 and entered into force on
January 1, 1989. Since then, it has undergone five revisions, in 1990
(London), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), and 1999
(Beijing).
Ozone depleting chemicals
including CFCs and halon have been phased out in developed countries by
1996 except for small essential uses. By 2010, production of ozone
depleting substances will be banned in developing countries. The
Protocol's Multilateral Fund has financed activities to phase out of
consumption and production of these chemicals in more than 140 developing
nations.
Due to its achievements to
date, the Protocol has been hailed as an example of exceptional
international cooperation and perhaps the single most successful
international agreement to date. The global community celebrated the 20th
Anniversary of the signing of this ground-breaking international treaty on
16 September 2007 in Montreal, Canada.
About the OzonAction Compliance Assistance
Programme (CAP)
The Montreal Protocol is at an advanced
stage of implementation. Developing countries now operate under a
"compliance phase" which requires them to achieve and sustain compliance
with specific obligations, promote a greater sense of country ownership
and implement the agreed Executive Committee framework for strategic
planning. In 2002, as an Implementing Agency of the Protocol's
Multilateral Fund, UNEP responded to this new compliance context by
changing its mode of operation and structure to better assist developing
countries with the implementation of the treaty. UNEP's OzonAction
Programme established a Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) that moved
from a project management approach to directly assisting countries with
specific compliance challenges. The CAP is delivered through specialized
staff located in four of UNEP's Regional Offices (Bangkok, Manama,
Nairobi, Panama City) and in the Paris office of the Division of
Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE). The CAP teams provide countries
in the respective regions with policy advice, compliance guidance and
conduct training to refrigeration technicians, customs officers and other
relevant stakeholders, promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation and
support action-oriented awareness raising.
Multilateral Fund Information can be found
at
Multinational Fund for the Implementation of Montreal Protocol
Source:
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
