The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a global agreement to protect the Earth’s ozone layer by phasing out the chemicals that deplete it. This phase-out plan includes both the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. The landmark agreement was signed in 1987 and entered into force in 1989.

The parties to the Protocol meet once a year to make decisions aimed at ensuring the successful implementation of the agreement. These include adjusting or amending the Protocol, which has been done six times since its creation. The most recent amendment, the Kigali Amendment, called for the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in 2016. These HFCs were used as replacements for a batch of ozone-depleting substances eliminated by the original Montreal Protocol. Although they do not deplete the ozone layer, they are known to be powerful greenhouse gases and, thus, contributors to climate change.

The Montreal Protocol provided a set of practical, actionable tasks that were universally agreed on. The Protocol has successfully met its objectives thus far and continues to safeguard the ozone layer today. Thanks to the collaborative effort of nations around the world, the ozone layer is well on its way to recovery.

Decision XVIII/14: Montreal Protocol/International Plant Protection Convention cooperation on the use of alternatives to methyl bromide for quarantine and preshipment

Noting with appreciation

the work done by the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel and its Quarantine and Pre-Shipment Task Force,

Mindful that in accordance with decisions VII/5 and XI/12 of the Meeting of the Parties quarantine and pre-shipment treatments are authorized or performed by national plant, animal, health or stored product authorities,

Noting that by its amendment to Article 7, paragraph 3, of the Montreal Protocol, the Eleventh Meeting of the Parties required each Party to submit information to the Secretariat on the amount of methyl bromide used annually for quarantine and pre-shipment applications,

Acknowledging thatthe Commission on Phytosanitary Measures adopts international standards for phytosanitary measures under the International Plant Protection Convention, which is an international treaty that aims to secure action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests affecting plants and plant products and to promote appropriate measures for their control,

Taking into account that quarantine and pre-shipment applications of methyl bromide were originally conceived to protect natural ecosystems and agriculture from the accidental introduction and spread of such pests, including invasive alien species, while at the same time allowing trade,

Mindful that in decision XVII/15 the Parties request the Ozone Secretariat to liaise further with the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, in consideration of the risk of depletion of the ozone layer,

Recognizing the need to develop common solutions that minimize the use of methyl bromide for quarantine and pre-shipment applications in a manner that is satisfactory for the ozone layer and also in terms of phytosanitary protection,

  1. To welcome proposals by the Technical Panel on Forest Quarantine of the International Plant Protection Convention for closer cooperation between the International Plant Protection Convention and the Montreal Protocol technical bodies and to encourage the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures to consider approval of the recommendations from the Technical Panel on Forest Quarantine on cooperation with the Protocol;
  2. To request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel to cooperate with the technical bodies of the International Plant Protection Convention with a view to:
    1. Ensuring that potentially duplicative activities are coordinated where practical and that technical information is shared and jointly developed as appropriate;
    2. Identifying jointly technical and economic opportunities and constraints faced by countries in the development and adoption of alternatives to methyl bromide for quarantine and pre‑shipment applications;
    3. Allowing the Quarantine and Pre-shipment Task Force to gather quantitative and to the extent possible comprehensive information about the use of methyl bromide in quarantine and pre‑shipment activities by combining relevant data sets available to each respective technical body;
    4. Identifying jointly existing national plant, animal, environmental health and stored product regulations that require or authorize the use of methyl bromide for quarantine and pre-shipment applications;
    5. Providing practical technical guidance on technologies, systems and arrangements aimed at minimizing emissions from methyl bromide fumigations to national plant protection organizations, as is urged in decision XI/13;
  3. To request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel to report on the results of its contacts and work described in paragraph 2 above in time for the twenty-seventh meeting of the Open‑ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol;
  4. To request the Ozone Secretariat to continue liaising with the International Plant Protection Convention secretariat as appropriate in line with decision XVII/15, to build on interactions already developed, and to report comprehensively to the Parties on secretariat‑level cooperation and joint activities;
  5. To request the Secretariat to provide factual information on the definitions of quarantine and pre-shipment under the Protocol and the International Plant Protection Convention;
  6. To encourage national level officials working on Montreal Protocol and International Plant Protection Convention issues to cooperate more closely to ensure that the objectives of both agreements are being met when domestic actions are undertaken in relation to methyl bromide use for quarantine and pre-shipment purposes and in the lead‑up to future decision-making by Parties in both multilateral agreements.