Becoming a Party to the Montreal Protocol

Eligibility       Advantages       Obligations       Financial Implications

The ozone layer can only return to its 1970s status if all nations join in the effort to eliminate the emission of ozone-depleting substances into the atmosphere. Failure to ratify the ozone treaties may hinder international efforts to protect the earth from the damage caused by ozone-layer depletion. While such damage will have a global impact, developing countries are likely to be the most severely affected.

To become a Party to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol, an official instrument of ratification, accession, approval or acceptance (depending on the domestic legal system) should be submitted, normally from the head of state or the minister for foreign affairs, to the Depositary of the two legal instruments, i.e., the Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York.

Every amendment to the Montreal Protocol must be ratified individually, while each set of adjustments to the Protocol automatically enters into force six months after the date of official notification of the adjustments by the depositary.

This section explores implications of becoming a party to the ozone treaties, in terms of: