Highlights and images for 25 October 2023

Throughout the day on Wednesday, delegates attending the thirty-fifth Meeting of the Parties (MOP 35) to the Montreal Protocol could be seen in contact groups and informal groups trying to reach compromises on draft decisions that will guide the Protocol’s work. As expected, the day was long, as delegates traversed one group to the next to hammer out agreeable decision text.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

Candid discussions were held, including on who should take responsibility for the dumping of equipment containing obsolete material, and the options available to address illegal trade in controlled substances. Early in the day, delegates made considerable progress on a draft resolution on destruction technologies for controlled substances, which was welcomed by many at the 45th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG 45) in July 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The day’s contact group discussions included:

• Budget, chaired by Sebastian Schnatz (Germany);
• Proposed adjustments to the Montreal Protocol occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, co-chaired by Patrick McInerney (Australia) and Juan Jose Galaeno (Argentina);
• Hydrofluorocarbon-23 (HFC-23) emissions, co-chaired by Shontelle Wellington (Barbados) and Heidi Stockhaus (Germany);
• Refrigerant management, co-chaired by Martijn Hildebrand (the Netherlands) and Idris Abdullahi Ishaka (Nigeria);
• Replenishment of the Multilateral Fund (MLF), co-chaired by Alain Wilmart (Belgium) and Sergio Merino (Mexico);
• Shared responsibility to stop dumping, co-chaired by Karen Bianco (US) and Tumau Neru (Samoa); and
• Terms of Reference (TOR) for the next Quadrennial Assessment, co-chaired by Cindy Newberg (US) and Leslie Smith (Grenada).

Delegates also engaged in multiple bilateral and informal discussions on destruction technologies, energy efficiency, stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), carbon tetrachloride (CTC), feedstocks, very short-lived substances (VSLS), and quarantine and pre-shipment uses of methyl bromide for which alternatives exist. Others met to discuss nominations for the Assessment Panels and preventing illegal trade in controlled substances.

In the evening, they reconvened in plenary to hear progress reports, with the groups requesting additional time to complete their work. The high-level segment opens Thursday morning.