Summary
The thirty-seventh meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG 37) of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer began on Monday, 4 April 2016, in Geneva, Switzerland.
In the morning, plenary opened with a moment of silence to recognize the efforts of the late Mostafa Tolba (Egypt) in bringing the Vienna Convention “to life.” Participants also heard an opening statement from the Ozone Executive Secretary, Tina Birmpili, who underscored that the sole focus of OEWG 37 is to move forward on the implementation of the Dubai Pathway on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). OEWG 37 then dealt with organizational matters, followed by a presentation on the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) report on information on alternatives to ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Parties responded, seeking clarification on issues and suggesting future areas of work for the TEAP.
In the afternoon, the Contact Group on the Feasability and Ways of Managing HFCs (HFCs Management Contact Group) resumed, focusing their discussion on key challenges and proposed solutions to the phase-out of HFCs.
In the evening, delegates attened a reception hosted by the Ozone Secretariat.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage,provided daily web coverage from the 37th OEWG. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has producd a summary and analysis report of the 37th OEWG, which is available in HTML and PDF formats.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis
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Rafael Da Soler, Brazil
Iftikhar-ul-Hassan Gilani, Pakistan
Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat
HFC Management Contact Group Co-Chair Patrick McInerney, Australia
View of the dais during the morning session
Sergey Vasiliev, the Russian Federation
Roberto Peixoto, TEAP Member, Brazil
Lambert Kuijpers, TEAP Member, the Netherlands
Delegates from Nigeria
Jacques Van Engel, UN Development Programme (UNDP), with Abdul-Kazeem Kasimu Bayero, Nigeria
Montreal Protocol OEWG 37 observes a minute of silence for the passing of Mostafa Kamal Tolba.
Lucie Desforges, Canada
Manoj Kumar Singh, India
John Thompson, US
Samuel Pare, Burkina Faso
Benjamin Deh-Deh, Côte D'Ivoire
Igzobel Castro, Venezuela
Taha Mohammed Zatari, Saudi Arabia
OEWG 37 Co-Chairs Paul Krajnik, Austria, and Leslie Smith, Grenada
Yaqoub Al-Matouq, Kuwait, with Hassan Ali Mubarak, Bahrain
Ismael Nour, Djibouti
Reine Marie Coly Badiane, Senegal, with Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Participants networking during the lunch break
Emma Rachmawaty, Indonesia
Philip Owen, European Union (EU)
Emmanuel Nyaka, Sierra Leone
Around the venue
Reception hosted by the Ozone Secretariat
