The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer logo was developed to provide a distinct brand for the two treaties across various communication assets and applications. The visual identity guideline is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of applications and correct use of the logo.
Mass Communication Repository
Ref: Oz.Sec./2022: Season's Greetings Date: 23 December 2022
Dear parties to the Montreal Protocol and other stakeholders,
2022 has proven to be a turning point. With global COVID-19 restrictions relinquishing their grip, we enjoyed travelling again, catching up with family and friends not seen in years, and of course, meeting again in person!
Our first reunion in Bangkok, Thailand, for the forty-fourth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group was a highlight. It was so good to see each other and discuss in person. Despite the heavy agenda due to all the work that had been deferred from 2020 and 2021, great progress was made on many issues. Primarily the decision on the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for 2021-2023, adopted immediately after the OEWG44 at the Fifth Extraordinary Meeting of the Parties.
The Thirty-Fourth Meeting of the Parties in Montreal, Canada, was also convened in person with a heavy agenda of issues passed on from the OEWG44 and three additional issues including the proposal submitted by Cuba on the revision of the HFC baseline as a result of COVID-19, alternatives to HFCs and safety standards. The meeting marked 35 years of the Montreal Protocol with a high-level roundtable discussion on the impact of the Protocol and its Kigali Amendment on the climate, and birthday cake at the reception. All the work of 2022 culminated in the adoption of 24 decisions in total. Congratulations to you all!
As we bring 2022 to a close, I’d like to share a video highlighting some of the key outcomes and contributions by the parties; the Assessment Panels; the Multilateral Fund and its Secretariat and implementing agencies; and other stakeholders, in support of the Montreal Protocol this year. It is your continued commitment and dedication that have helped make this multilateral environmental agreement a success these past 35 years. Thank you! To access the review video of 2022, please click here.
On behalf of the Secretariat, I would like to convey my season's greetings and wish you all a wonderful festive break with your loved ones. I hope that we have turned a corner this year and that 2023 will prove to be a continued return to a ‘new normal’, and that we shall see each other again for OEWG45.
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Megumi Seki Nakamura
Executive Secretary
Ozone Secretariat
UN Environment Programme
P. O. Box 30552-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254 20 762 3452
Email: meg.seki@un.org
Website: http://ozone.unep.org
Ref: Oz.Sec./Greening the Blue Date: 22 December 2022
Dear Montreal Protocol parties and other stakeholders,
On 14 December 2022 the United Nations’ system launched its latest environmental sustainability report: Greening the Blue Report 2022. This edition of the Report reveals UN entities are accelerating their efforts on environmental governance and environmental training.
In alignment with the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations 2020-2030, Phase I: Environmental Sustainability in the Area of Management, the Greening the Blue Report 2022 provides UN system-wide and entity-level data for 2021 on environmental impact areas: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate neutrality, waste, air pollution, water and wastewater, and biodiversity. As well as management functions: environmental governance, procurement, and human resources.
The Ozone Secretariat’s data is available online under ‘Greening our meetings’ and at https://www.greeningtheblue.org/entities/ozones
The deadline for UN entities to implement an environmental management system (EMS) is 2025. The Ozone Secretariat developed its EMS in 2021 and we started implementing it this year. For further information click here.
As the deadline approaches, more and more UN entities are adopting and implementing their EMS. Improvements on environmental training were also seen in 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, where entities are providing environmental training and making it mandatory for all personnel.
In 2021, the UN’s operations and facilities emitted ~1.2 million tonnes of CO2eq in total or 4 tonnes CO2eq per capita. The UN system’s GHG emissions by source were 29% from air travel, 56% from facilities, and 15% from other forms of travel.
For the Ozone Secretariat specifically, it has been estimated that our operations and facilities have emitted 5 tCO2eq in total or 0.29 tCO2eq per capita, which is below the UN average. If we breakdown our emissions by source for 2021, 0% came from air travel, none from other travel, and the remaining 100% came from our facilities.
We are also pleased to announce that we are one of UN entities that were climate neutral for 2021, meaning that we offset 100% of our greenhouse gas emissions. This is the 8th year in a row that we are climate neutral.
Around 316 kg/person of waste was generated for the whole UN system in 2021. At the Secretariat, we generated an estimated 45 kg/person of waste.
The average water consumption by the UN System in 2021, was 37 m3 per UN personnel per year. In comparison, it is estimated that we used around 15 m3 per person last year.
For more information, please contact our Environmental Sustainability Focal Point Stephanie Haysmith stephanie.haysmith@un.org.
Yours sincerely,
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Megumi Seki Nakamura
Executive Secretary
Ozone Secretariat
UN Environment Programme
P.O.Box 30552-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254 20 762 3452
Email: meg.seki@un.org
Website: http://ozone.unep.org
Mass Communication Repository
Ref: Oz.Sec/VCTF Monitoring Date: Le 16 décembre 2022
Madame, Monsieur,
Le Secrétariat de l'ozone a le plaisir de ci-joint, à votre aimable attention, une lettre du Secrétaire exécutive sur le Fonds général d’affectation spéciale destiné à financer des activités de recherche et d’observations systématiques au titre de la Convention de Vienne: rapport d’activité annuel et appel à contributions.
Veuillez noter que la version anglaise de cette lettre a été envoyée à toutes les parties le 23 novembre 2022.
Cordialement,
Secrétariat de l'ozone
Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement
P.O. Box 30552-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Téléphone: +254 20 762 3611
mea-ozoneinfo@un.org
http://ozone.unep.org
Mass Communication Repository
Ref: Oz.Sec/VCTF Monitoring Fecha: 16 de diciembre de 2022
Estimado Señor, Estimada Señora,
La Secretaría del Ozono se complace en adjuntar, para su atención, una carta del Secretaria Ejecutiva sobre el Fondo fiduciario general para financiar las actividades de investigación y observaciones sistemáticas de interés para el Convenio de Viena: actualización sobre los progresos anuales e invitación a que se realicen contribuciones.
Tenga en cuenta que la versión en inglés de esta carta se envió a todas las partes el 23 de noviembre de 2022.
Atentamente,
Secretaría del Ozono
Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente
P. O. Box 30552-00100
Nairobi, Kenia
Teléfono: +254 20 762 3611
mea-ozoneinfo@un.org
http://ozono.unep.org
Mass Communication Repository
Ref: Oz.Sec/MOP34/Decision XXXIV/13 8 December 2022
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Ozone Secretariat is pleased to attach herein, for your kind attention, a letter from the Executive Secretary, with regard to decision XXXIV/13 - Collecting data to understand potential impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on hydrofluorocarbon consumption for Group 1 Article 5 parties.
Yours sincerely,
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Ozone Secretariat
UN Environment Programme
P.O. Box 30552 (00100)
Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254 20 762 3611
mea-ozoneinfo@un.org
www.ozone.unep.org
Cold chain
Of the total food produced for human consumption, an estimated 14 per cent is lost (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO] 2019), and an estimated 17 per cent is wasted (UNEP 2021), costing the global economy an estimated $936 billion a year (FAO 2014a).
The lack of effective refrigeration is a leading contributor to this challenge, directly resulting in the loss of 526 million tons of food production, or 12 percent of the global total, in 2017 (International Institute of Refrigeration [IIF/IIR] 2021a). This is enough to feed an estimated 1 billion people in a world where currently 811 million people are hungry and 3 billion are unable to afford a healthy diet (FAO 2022).
Mass Communication Repository
Ref: Oz.Sec/VCTF Monitoring Date: 23 November 2022
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Ozone Secretariat is pleased to attach herein, for your kind attention, a letter from the Executive Secretary on the General Trust Fund for Financing Activities on Research and Systematic Observations Relevant to the Vienna Convention: annual progress update and invitation for contributions.
Kindly note that the translated versions of this letter in French and Spanish will be sent to the relevant parties in due course.
Yours sincerely,
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Ozone Secretariat
UN Environment Programme
P.O. Box 30552 (00100)
Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254 20 762 3611
mea-ozoneinfo@un.org
www.ozone.unep.org
Mass Communication Repository
Ref: Oz.Sec./Staff Date: 28 October 2022
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have the pleasure to inform you that following the completion of a competitive recruitment process for the position of Deputy Executive Secretary at the D-1 level, the UNEP Executive Director has appointed Ms. Maria Socorro Manguiat.
Maria is a national of the Philippines. She is a seasoned legal expert and brings with her 21 years of rich experience in intergovernmental meetings, and legal and procedural issues. Recently, Maria has been heading the National Environmental Law Unit of UNEP's Law Division. Please find below her short bio.
Maria will be attending the 34th Meeting of the Parties in Montreal as part of the Secretariat team. She will formally move to the Secretariat from 1 Janurary 2023. I thank the Parties for their continued support over the years and ask them to join me in welcoming Maria.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Gilbert Bankobeza for taking on the responsibilities as Acting Deputy Executive Secretary since 15 September 2021.
Yours sincerely,
Meg
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Megumi Seki Nakamura
Executive Secretary
Ozone Secretariat
Biography - Maria Socorro Manguiat
Maria Socorro began her career at SyCip Salazar, Hernandez & Gatmaitan, one of the top law firms in the Philippines. After deciding to devote her legal skills to the cause of the environment, she joined the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources. At DENR, she worked on the development and implementation of laws and regulations on pollution and environmental impact assessment and represented her country in negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol. In 2001 she moved to the Environmental Law Center of the International Union for Conservation in Bonn where she provided legal advice to negotiators from developing countries on land use, land-use change and forestry.From 2006 to 2016 she was with the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change where she served as Secretary to the Compliance Committee of the Kyoto Protocol and was part of the secretariat's legal and advisory team for the Paris Agreement. She relocated to Nairobi in 2016 to head the National Environmental Law Unit of UNEP's Law Division, leading the Unit's work on technical legal assistance to countries, while continuing to provide advice to intergovernmental processes such the UNFCCC and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
She has a degree in Economics (Honors Programme) and a Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. She obtained her Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School. She is a member of the Philippine and New York Bar.
Mass Communication Repository
Ref: Oz.Sec./World Ozone Day 2022 13 September 2022
Dear Parties to the Montreal Protocol and Ozone Family,
I hope you are all keeping well and managing to organize your World Ozone Day commemorative events marking 35 years of ozone layer protection. The United Nations Secretary-General's statement and the UNEP Executive Director's video message for the World Ozone Day are now available on our website.
Secretary-General Statement: The annual statement from the Secretary-General to mark World Ozone Day 2022 available in all official UN languages can be accessed here .
Executive Director video message: The video (English only) can be accessed here .
Additional digital assets available on our WOD 2022 webpage have been developed to support you in your endeavors to raise awareness for your 16 September events, which include:
Social Media Cards : A comprehensive social media pack comprising a variety of posts, proposed messaging and mastersheet for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The social media cards have been designed around this year's theme Montreal Protocol: global cooperation protecting life on earth .
MP@35 logo: A specially commissioned logo has been designed that is available in poster format and also incorporated into the social media package.
Videos : A video commemorating 35 years of the Montreal Protocol and its impact on ozone layer and climate protection. In addition, there are 2 more reference videos on the Montreal Protocol available: “The Hole” and “50 Years of UNEP”.
Events : Please share any information, agendas and links to events you are planning for 16 September with our Communications and Public Information Officer, Stephanie Haysmith ( stephanie.haysmith@un.org ) to share on the WOD 2022 webpage and via social media.
I hope that the assets developed this year will help promote and support your planned activities to celebrate this milestone birthday of the Montreal Protocol
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat for any clarification or further information you may require at mea-ozoneinfo@un.org or stephanie.haysmith@un.org
Wishing you all a successful and memorable World Ozone Day 2022.
Yours sincerely,
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Megumi Seki Nakamura
Executive Secretary
Ozone Secretariat
UN Environment Program
P.O.Box 30552-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254 20 762 3452
Email: meg.seki@un.org
Website: http://ozone.unep.org