Highlights and images for 22 May 2021

Given the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 43rd meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (OEWG-43) is meeting online to consider a streamlined agenda, focusing on those issues that are essential to keeping the work of the Montreal Protocol on track.

During the first part of OEWG-43, parties must provide guidance to the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) to further work on its report on the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for implementation of the Protocol. This report, which was originally produced in May 2020 at the request of parties, provides an assessment of funding requirements for the 2021-2023 replenishment. The OEWG must now decide if it needs to be updated or supplemented to support the replenishment negotiations later in 2021.

On the first of the two days dedicated to this issue, delegates discussed four possible options for further work on the replenishment report, including requesting the TEAP replenishment task force to:

A. Prepare a supplementary report based on a list of issues agreed by the parties, e.g., elements of additional scenarios and activities, corrections and clarifications addressed in the task force response document, and updates based on decisions, rules and guidelines agreed on by the Executive Committee at its 86th meeting;

B. Prepare a supplementary report without an agreed list of issues, but on the basis of a request to the task force to take into account comments provided by parties with a view to refining the estimated funding range for the triennium 2021-2023;

C. Prepare an updated report that would take into account the corrections and clarifications identified by parties in 2020 and/or decisions, rules, and guidelines agreed to by the Executive Committee;

D. Not prepare an additional report, if parties determine there is already sufficient information available in the 2020 report.

While there was no support for Option D, parties expressed a range of preferences for the other options, with some preferring a combination of elements. Many expressed concern about the capacity of TEAP members to take on additional work, as the mandate of the replenishment task force has already been extended due to pandemic-related disruptions.

Canada proposed a path forward that would combine elements of the above options, with consideration for the workload of TEAP task force members. This text will form the basis of discussions when OEWG-43 resumes its work on Monday. 

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