We, the Ministers of the Environment and heads of delegations of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer,

Having participated, at the invitation of the Government of the People's Republic of China, in the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, from 29 November to 3 December 1999, in Beijing, China,

Having held in-depth discussions on important issues relating to the protection of the ozone layer and the implementation of the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol,

Recalling the achievements made to date in this field, while earnestly seeking to address the challenges that we will face in the future,

Reaffirming, at the threshold of a new millennium, our commitment to the protection of the ozone layer through a serious implementation of the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol in order to achieve the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances to protect the environmental security of present and future generations,

Declare:

1. That we are pleased to note that major progress has been achieved in the implementation of the Montreal Protocol in the past decade since the Helsinki Declaration was adopted, as testified by the fact that the Parties not operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 have largely ceased the production and consumption of CFCs from 1 January 1996, while the Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 have committed themselves to freezing their production and consumption of CFCs at the average level of the period 1995‑1997, from 1 July 1999;

2. That we are further pleased to note that the reduction and phase‑out of other ozone‑depleting substances are also proceeding in line with or in some cases faster than the control measures we have agreed upon in the past Meetings of the Parties and welcome the further progress agreed upon at this Meeting of the Parties;

3. That we take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation for the efforts made towards this progress by Governments, international organizations, industry, experts and other relevant groups;

4. That we are fully aware, however, that we cannot afford to rest on our laurels, since scientists have informed us that the ozone hole has reached record proportions and that ozone layer recovery is a long way from being achieved;

5. That we are keenly aware that the Parties will face new challenges, as we have now entered a new period of substantive reduction of ozone-depleting substances from 1 July 1999 and, therefore, must ensure the continuation and development of our significant financial and technical cooperation under paragraph 1 of Article 10 of the Montreal Protocol, to enable all countries to take full advantage of benefits offered by the latest technological advances, including the continuation of initiatives to ensure funding for the low‑volume‑consuming countries;

6. That we therefore appeal to all of the Parties to demonstrate a stronger political will and take more effective action to fulfil their obligations under the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol, and to urge all States that have not yet done so to ratify, approve or accede to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments;

7. That we also appeal to the relevant Parties to take all appropriate measures to address illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances and to safeguard the achievements attained to date;

8. That we call upon the Parties not operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 to continue to maintain adequate funding and to promote the expeditious transfer of environmentally sound technologies, under the Montreal Protocol, to the Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5, to help them fulfil their obligations; and also call upon Parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 to take all appropriate measures necessary to secure the efficient use of the resources provided by Parties not operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5;

9. That we further appeal to the international community to demonstrate more concern for the issues of ozone layer protection and for the protection of the global atmosphere in general, taking into account the need to promote social and economic development in all countries.