12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (Part I) and 32nd Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

Mario Molina, who passed away in October 2020, laid the path for continued efforts to preserve and restore the ozone layer through his ground-breaking discovery that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are a threat to the Earth’s ozone layer. This work continues with the combined twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Part I) and Thirty-Second Meeting of the Parties (COP 12(I)/MOP 32) as they meet online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first part of COP 12, which will meet to commemorate the Convention’s 35th anniversary, will address the budget of the Vienna Convention Trust Fund for 2020 (revised) and 2021 only. The second part of COP 12, which will be held in 2021, will address all other agenda items relating to the Convention.

MOP 32 will also consider a reduced agenda, including:

• Financial reports and budgets of the trust funds for the Montreal Protocol;
• Replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (MLF);
• Nominations for methyl bromide critical-use exemptions (CUEs) for 2021 and 2022;
• Membership of the Implementation Committee, Membership of the MLF Executive Committee, and Co-Chairs of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG);
• Consideration of the membership of the assessment panels; and
• Compliance and reporting issues considered by the Implementation Committee.

COP 12(I)/MOP 32 will take place from 23-27 November. The preparatory segment will be held from 23-26 November 2020, and the high-level segment will take place on 27 November 2020. All sessions will be held from 12:00 – 2:00 pm Central European Time (CET). There is the possibility of an extra hour for each session if parties need additional time.

The 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer is a framework convention that aims to promote cooperation by exchanging information on the effects of human activities on the ozone layer Adopted in 1987, the Montreal Protocol is the sole protocol to the Vienna Convention. The Protocol seeks to control and phase out ozone-depleting substances (ODS) such as CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride (CTC), methyl chloroform, methyl bromide, hydrobromofluorocarbons, and HCFCs. Under the 2015 Kigali Amendment, the Protocol is phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), substitutes for many ODS that have been found to have a high global warming potential.

The MOP serves as the decision-making body of the Protocol and meets annually to consider and decide on issues put forward by the OEWG. The COP is the decision-making body for the Vienna Convention and meets every three years. These deliberations are informed and supported by scientific assessments. For more information, see the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary and analysis from OEWG 42 in July 2020.

IISD, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, will provide daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from COP 12(I)/MOP 32. Kindly return to this site on Monday, 23 November 2020, for more information.