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Sixteenth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol

22-26 November, 2004
| Prague, Czech Republic


 Earth Negotiations Bulletin - ENB
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 Tue 23 
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Highlights from Wednesday, 24 November

Delegates met in Plenary throughout the day and late into the evening to conclude the work of MOP-16's preparatory segment ahead of Thursday and Friday's high-level segment. Parties considered agenda items on a range of issues, including compliance with the Protocol, trade, methyl bromide, membership of various bodies, and administrative matters, forwarding a number of draft decisions to the high-level segment. Working groups and consultations convened on various issues, including methyl bromide critical use nominations (CUNs), the working procedures and terms of reference of the Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee (MBTOC), and financial issues.
Photo: The Contact Group on the working procedures and terms of reference of the MBTOC


Plenary
 

 

Michael Graber, Deputy Executive Secretary, Janusz Kozakiewicz, Co-Chair of the Open-Ended Working Group, and Executive Secretary Marco González

 

Pamela Wexler, the US Stakeholders Group on metered dose inhaler (MDI) Transitions, (left) expressed support for the EC proposal on essential-use nominations, saying the group anticipated no adverse effect on US patients arising from this decision.

Supporting the EC's proposal to review 2006 essential-use nominations for CFC-salbutamol, Maureen Hardwick, International Pharmaceutical Aerosol Consortium (right), said that documentation emerging from the implementation of Decision XV/5 should be made available to the TEAP when reviewing essential-use nominations.

Tom Batchelor, EC, is pictured in the center

 
 

Osmer Castillo and Norberto Rebolledo, Venezuela (left) and Dr. Sullivan, Food and Drug Administration, US (right) ; Stressing that the EU proposal re-opens negotiations concluded in Nairobi with Decision XV/5 and highlighting domestic actions to implement this decision, the US (right) stressed that the TEAP's report recommends approval of the quantities nominated for on essential-use by non-Article 5 Parties for 2005 and 2006.

   

Nicolas Kiddle, New Zealand (left); Sita Ram Joshi, Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology, Nepal (center), stated that the listing of his country as non-compliant following the seizure of illegally traded goods containing CFCs and their containment in the custom clearance zone was unjust; Gilbert Bankobeza, Secretariat (right)

 

Rjendra Shende, Energy and OzoneAction Branch, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, UNEP (left) , Maria Nolan, Chief Officer, Multilateral Fund Secretariat (right)

Rjendra Shende reported on activities of the regional networks to combat illegal trade. He said the purpose of the report was to suggest actions UNEP regional networks could take to prevent illegal trade. He highlighted the significance of: training of customs officers; the identification of illegal trade “hotspots” and close collaboration between Parties; and private/public partnerships to combat illegal trade.


 
Paul Krajnik, Austria, chaired a drafting group on the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund, the evaluation and review of the Multilateral Fund, Senegal (right) thanked UNEP DTIE for its help in organizing a West African regional meeting on the import and export of ozone depleting substances and equipment in Ouagadougou.

 

W.L. Sumathipala, Sri Lanka, noted the possibility of increased illegal trade as more Article 5 countries proceed in complying with Montreal Protocol targets; Regarding the agenda item on ????, Canada (right) said a holistic approach to chemicals management should be adopted and called for greater cooperation between the Secretariats of chemicals-related multilateral environmental agreements.
 

 

The Maldives (left) called attention to the difficulties faced by very low-volume consuming countries in obtaining ozone-depleting substances at an economical and competitive cost because of low volumes. Paul Horwitz and Tom Land, Environmental Protection Agency, US

 


Ezra Clark, Environmental Investigation Agency, supported Georgia’s draft decision on the cross-checking of exports of controlled substances to prevent illegal trade. He expressed his concern that holding a workshop, as suggested by many Parties, would delay urgently-needed action to curb illegal trade in ozone depleting substances. Miakeil Tushishbuili, Georgia, noting its seizure of CFC-12 in HFC-133 cylinders, introduced a draft decision on the cross-checking of ODS exports.

 

 

Contact Group on the budget

 
 

 

 

   
Contact Group on MBTOC Working Procedures

 


The contact group on the working procedures of the MBTOC, chaired by Maas Goote (upper right), met in the afternoon to discuss a proposal by the EU which asks MOP-17 to consider the elaboration of a framework for multi-year CUEs; Blaise Horisberger, Switzerland, (upper left) suggested the conditions required to grant one-year CUEs should not automatically apply to multi-year exemptions, and further conditions may be needed for granting multi-year CUEs/CUNs.


 


Photos from around the Conference


 
Unilever Solar assisted Ice Cream Cabinet (www.unilever.com) (left) and the table for Ekotez, a Czech manufacturer of environmentally friendly products (www.ekotez.cz)

Ozone Depletion and Climate Change: Understanding the Linkages (Environment Canada) www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/education/uvindex/od-cc/toc_e.html
 
 
 

Links

Montreal Protocol homepage and meeting documents for the 16th Meeting of the Parties
Annotated Provisional Agenda for MOP 16
Technology and Economic Assessment Panel
Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol
UNDP Montreal Protocol Unit
World Bank Group- Montreal Protocol

UNEP OzonAction Programme
UNEP Solvents Technical Options Committee

ENB coverage of the Montreal Protocol
ENB coverage of the Extaordinary Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, held 24-26 March, 2004

ENB Coverage of the 15th Meeting of the Parties, held 10-14 November, 2003

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