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 XXXVI/13: Data and information provided by the parties in accordance with Article 7 of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

The Thirty-Sixth Meeting of the Parties decides:

  1. To note that 192 parties of the 198 parties that should have reported data for 2023 have done so and that 163 of those parties had reported their data by 30 September 2024, as required under paragraph 3 of Article 7 of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer;
  2. To note with appreciation that 80 of the reporting parties had submitted their data for 2023 by 30 June 2024, in accordance with the encouragement in decision XV/15, and to note that reporting by 30 June each year greatly facilitates the work of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol in assisting parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the Montreal Protocol to comply with the control measures of the Protocol;
  3. To note with concern that six parties, namely Azerbaijan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Iceland, Mali and San Marino, have not reported their data for 2023, as required under paragraph 3 of Article 7 of the Montreal Protocol, and that this places them in
    non-compliance with their data reporting obligations under the Protocol until such time as the Ozone Secretariat receives their outstanding data;
  4. To also note with concern that one party operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5, namely Djibouti, that has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and should have submitted baseline data for Annex F substances (hydrofluorocarbons) for the years 2020 to 2022, as required under paragraph 2 of Article 7 of the Montreal Protocol, has not done so, and that this places the party in non-compliance with its data reporting obligations under the Montreal Protocol until such time as the Ozone Secretariat receives its outstanding baseline data for hydrofluorocarbons;
  5. To further note with concern that two parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5, namely Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, that have ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and are thus required to submit data on Annex F substances (hydrofluorocarbons) for 2023, as required under paragraph 3 of Article 7 of the Montreal Protocol, submitted data for other controlled substances but not for hydrofluorocarbons, and that this places those parties in non-compliance with their data reporting obligations under the Montreal Protocol until such time as the Ozone Secretariat receives their outstanding data for hydrofluorocarbons;
  6. To note that a lack of timely data reporting by parties impedes the effective monitoring and assessment of parties’ compliance with their obligations under the Montreal Protocol;
  7. To urge the parties listed in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 above to report the required data to the Ozone Secretariat as soon as possible;
  8. To request the Implementation Committee under the Non-Compliance Procedure for the Montreal Protocol to review the situation of those parties at its seventy-fourth meeting;
  9. To encourage parties to continue to report consumption and production data as soon as the figures are available, and preferably by 30 June each year, as encouraged in decision XV/15 and subsequent decisions on the matter.