16 Dec 2019 Story Environmental rights and governance

Strengthening the Network of National Ozone Officers to comply with the Montreal Protocol obligations

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through its OzonAction programme supports government officers to meet national commitments to phase out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances, under the Montreal Protocol.

South East Asia

A thematic workshop of the South East Asia Network of National Ozone Officers on compliance with the Montreal Protocol post-Kigali, was jointly organized by UNEP and the Environmental Management Bureau of the Natural Resources and Environment for the Philippines, in August, in Cebu, Philippines with the objective of strengthening the capacity of national ozone officers from the Philippines to comply with the Montreal Protocol.

The meeting brought together 30 national ozone officers from 11 countries and implementing agencies such as the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, United Nations Industrial Development Organization country office, United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank. According to Metodio U. Turbella, Director of the Environmental Management Bureau, Philippines, the government of the Philippines is committed to complying with obligations under Montreal Protocol, not only to sustain achievements for substances that have been phased out, but also to future obligations of the hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) phase out. He further encouraged developing countries to work on a practical strategy to engage private sector participation in the hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) phase-down strategy, while phasing-out HCFC.

 

The forum presented a good opportunity for participants to review achievements and challenges on HCFC phase-out post-Kigali, as well as share and discuss the progress of implementing the Montreal Protocol in their respective countries and at regional levels.  

Nine out of the 11 South East Asia countries are already in compliance with the Protocol obligations of 2020, except Myanmar and Vietnam, where the national ozone officers are new. Some of the challenges highlighted as hindrances to compliance include rapid economic growth which increases pressure on environmental products and services.

Pacific Island countries

UNEP’s Compliance Assistance Programme and the Palau Environmental Quality Protection Board of the Government of Palau jointly organized a workshop in Koro, Palau, in August 2019, to strengthen the capacity of the Pacific Island Countries Network of National Ozone Officers to comply with the Montreal Protocol.

The meeting brought together 25 participants from 12 out of the 14 countries in the Pacific Island Countries Network, and resource persons from the Australian government, the Ozone Secretariat, and the Multilateral Fund Secretariat. Fleming Umiich Sengebau, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism, applauded the capacity-building process initiated by UNEP and Environmental Quality Protection Board, stating that the sharing of information on the phase-out of HCFCs and phase down of HFCs will help Palau to develop necessary legislation and programmes to assist the country in achieving Montreal Protocol obligations and energy efficiency goals.

The meeting provided a good platform for the participants to share their thoughts and understanding of the key enforcement issues, including enforcement gaps, tracking systems for HCFCs and methyl bromide for quarantine and pre-shipment application, prosecution of offenders, and sustaining capacity-building of the refrigeration and air-conditioning servicing sector to ensure safe adoption of flammable, and climate friendly alternatives.

Mongolia

At least 30 national ozone officers of Mongolia were trained by UNEP on the requirements for legal preparedness to implement the Kigali Amendment. Further to this, the Mongolian National Ozone Authority in partnership with UNEP OzonAction and Mongolia Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Association organized Mongolia’s first Ozone2Climate Technology Roadshow and Industry Roundtable in August 2019. At the event, 17 enterprises from Mongolia that are suppliers and end-users displayed the latest energy efficient technologies.

Most countries are on track towards ratification of the Kigali Amendment. A close examination of the HFC market highlights additional considerations that must be considered in ensuring that the legal and policy frameworks of Parties to the Montreal Protocol are “Kigali-ready”.

There is a huge interest among countries to have readily available information on the legislative instruments (law and regulations) being developed by other Parties to the Montreal Protocol, and some guidance on legislative review.

For more information, please contact Pattra.Mahattanawongwarn[at]un.org, Patcharin.Udompornwirat[at]un.org or Maria.Manguiat[at]un.org