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19th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol
(MOP-19)

17-21 September 2007
Montreal, Canada



Summary report of the 20th Anniversary Seminar of the Montreal Protocol "Celebrating 20 years of Progress"

Highlights from Monday, 17 September
Executive Secretary Marco Gonzalez and MOP19 President Khalid Al-Ali

 
Opening of the High-level Segment
 
 

Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP (left), welcomed delegates on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. He said that the multilateral system is complex and frustrating but extraordinary regimes such as the Montreal Protocol show that the international system can effectively address environmental issues. Canadian Environment Minister John Baird (right) welcomed participants, describing the Montreal Protocol as the most effective international convention of our time.

 
 
Nobel Laureates Frank Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina receive a standing ovation for their findings which were instrumental in calling attention to the negative impacts of CFCs on the ozone layer
 
MOP-19 President Khalid Al-Ali, Qatar
 
   
Presentation of 2006 Assessment Panel Reports
 
 

Stephen Andersen, Co-Chair of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) (left), stated that TEAP recommended an accelerated phase-out of HCFCs and called for alternatives to ODS in foam production. A.R. Ravishankara, Co-Chair of the Science Assessment Panel (SAP) (right), presented the latest results on ODS emissions and ozone recovery, which he said indicated that the Montreal Protocol is "working as intended."

 
Statements by heads of delegations
 
 

Bernadette Rounds Ganilau, Fiji (left), called for closer cooperation with the Southeast Pacific network with the support of the Multilateral Fund. Stephen Johnson, US EPA Administrator (center), stated that an accelerated HCFC phase-out would bring greater benefits for climate change amelioration than measures under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Kyoto Protocol. Marianne Wenning, European Commission (right), emphasized the need for MOP-19 to achieve solid results that go beyond current commitments under the Montreal Protocol.

 
 

Ambassador Tsuneo Nishida, Japan (left) asserted that any consideration of an accelerated HCFC phase-out must take available resources into account; Humberto Rosa, Portugal, for the EU (center), offered to take a leading role helping developing countries accelerate the phase out HCFCs and suggested a focus on preventing illegal trade, controlling new substances, managing ODS banks, and ozone-layer monitoring. Zhang Lijun, China (right) stressed that continued successful implementation depends on support from key industries, and listed current obstacles to an accelerated HCFC phase-out, including the lack of alternative technologies, and negative impacts on economic sectors and the workforce.

 
 

Guinea (left) stressed the need to fully phase out both HCFCs and CFCs; Louise Nzanga Ramazani, Democratic Republic of Congo (right), said that she hoped the MOP-19 recommendations succeed in reducing ODS consumption to zero by 2010.

 
 
Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State for Environment and Forests, India, stressed the need for technology transfer to be provided under fair and favorable conditions.
 
Statements by implementing agencies of the Multilateral Fund
 
 

Katherine Sierra, World Bank (left), reported its involvement in 600 Montreal Protocol projects in 25 countries, and said accelerated phase-out of HCFCs might be viable for some countries, but there was a need to better understand supply and demand issues. Ad Melkert, UNDP (right), listed its contributions to projects in 100 countries, including promoting better economies of scale, and building synergies in support of sustainable development.

 
Awards
 

Awards were presented to individuals, international agencies and government agencies in recognition of outstanding contributions to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Above: Tamara Curll, Ozone Secretariat, reads out the names of award recepients

 
 
The Multilateral Fund received an award for implementation of the Protocol (left). The Government of Canada received an award for hosting the Multilateral Fund, MOP-19, and its policies on ODS (right).
 
 
Corrodo Clini, Italy (left), and Zahid Ullah Hamdard, Afghanistan (right), receiving awards for implementation
 
 
Tadanori Inomata, UN Joint Inspection Unit, receiving his award from Executive Secretary Gonzalez
 
 
A representative of the National Ozone Unit of Trinidad and Tobago accepts the award for putting in place a system for permitting both ODS and ODS dependant equipment and implementing an accelerated phase out.
 
Contact Group on HCFCs
 
 
 
Dr. Gilbert Bankabeza, Secretariat and contact group Co-Chairs Maas Goote, Netherlands, and Mikheil Tushishvili, Georgia
 
 
Press Briefing with UNEP and UNFCCC on the mutually supportive role of the Montreal and Kyoto Protocols
 
 
Halldor Thorgeirsson, UNFCCC Secretariat, Canadian Environment Minister John Baird and UNEP Executive Secretary Achim Steiner
 
 
Miscellaneous Photos
 
 
The Multilateral Fund stand in the exhibition hall presents the DVD “A Culture of Success” that explores the innovative operational and flexible processes of the Fund.
 
 
 
 
 
Executive Secreatry Marco Gonzalez with members of the Italian delegation
 
Executive Secreatry Marco Gonzalez with members of the Chinese delegation
 
 
 
Daily web coverage:
17 September - 18 September
- 19 September - 20 September - 21 September

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