Initiatives related to UNEP, the United Nations and international organizations

Transcription

1 UNITED NATIONS EP UNEP/OzL.Pro.WG.1/38/INF/2 Distr.: General 13 June 2016 Original: English United Nations Environment Programme Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer Thirty-eighth meeting Vienna, July 2016 K Key activities and initiatives of the Secretariat of relevance to the Montreal Protocol Note by the Secretariat I. Introduction II. 1. The present note provides an overview of recent key activities and initiatives of relevance to the work of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer that the Secretariat has undertaken or been involved in and wishes to bring to the attention of the parties. Information on such matters, not directly linked to agenda items, has traditionally been included in the notes by the Secretariat issued as pre-session meeting documents on issues for the consideration of parties at their meetings under the Protocol. From now on, the Secretariat will present those matters in a stand-alone document issued once or twice a year, as appropriate. 2. Section II of the present note contains information on the Secretariat s participation in the main initiatives related to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations and other international organizations. Section III outlines recent information and communication activities and initiatives undertaken by the Secretariat. Section IV provides a brief update on the missions undertaken by the Secretariat in 2016 and section V provides information for parties on the current status of staff recruitments in the Ozone Secretariat. Initiatives related to UNEP, the United Nations and international organizations A. Health and the environment 3. The Secretariat provided oral and written contributions to the UNEP-led global thematic report entitled Healthy environment, healthy people. The report was presented at the ministerial policy review session organized on the theme during the high-level segment of the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in May It highlights key messages from the state of knowledge on the environment and its linkages with human health and the opportunities that the indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals provide to measure and monitor those linkages. The report also draws attention to the interconnections between efficient policy actions, governance structures and legal tools at the global, regional and national levels. It further highlights opportunities to build resilience in addressing environment-related health challenges and proposes policy options to advance environmental sustainability for improved health and well-being. The report is available at

2 4. In addition to reviewing various parts of the report, the Secretariat contributed a narrative of hope derived from its experience of improved human health and well-being as a result of improved environmental quality, as in the case of ozone layer protection. Furthermore, the Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat participated in the ministerial round-table discussion on Healthy environment, healthy people at the high-level segment of the second session of the Environment Assembly. B. Integrated approaches for the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 5. The Secretariat has provided input to the summary report on the UNEP retreat on the integrated approach for the implementation at country and regional levels of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Secretariat s input to this paper outlines how the ozone regime s contribution to the integration of environmental sustainability has been achieved at various levels, including financially through the funding mechanism, socially through the different provisions for parties operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 and parties not so operating, and environmentally through ongoing efforts to restore the ozone layer. 6. The UNEP paper has been prepared to inform the discussions and outcomes of the UNEP retreat on integrated approaches for the transformative implementation of sustainable development policies and, in particular, the 2030 Agenda. It brings together diverse experiences and provides practical examples of some of the work of UNEP in which integrated approaches are being applied. Its key message is that people-related and planet-related issues are integrated and indivisible. The paper complements the Healthy environment, healthy people report and the report of the Executive Director entitled Resolution 1/4: science-policy interface (UNEP/EA.2/3) prepared for the second session of the Environment Assembly. C. Sustainable Development Goals and UNEP Live 7. The Secretariat has been liaising with the UNEP Division of Early Warning and Assessment, which is responsible, on behalf of UNEP, for the follow-up and review of progress in the implementation of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators, UNEP is responsible for methodology development and reporting of data on relevant indicators at the national, regional and global levels. In this context, the Secretariat has provided to UNEP data on ozone-depleting substances and information on the goals of the Montreal Protocol and their relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Secretariat s contribution, along with that of the other multilateral environmental agreements, can be visualized on the UNEP SDG portal on the UNEP Live platform ( 8. The SDG portal was launched during the Science-Policy Forum held in Nairobi on 19 and 20 May 2016, preceding the second session of the Environment Assembly. The relationship between key indicators of the Montreal Protocol and the Sustainable Development Goals, targets and indicators were demonstrated as examples of the interlinkages that exist between multilateral environmental agreements and the Sustainable Development Goals. The relevance of the ozone treaties to the Goals was also demonstrated in a side event on the mutually supportive role and benefits of multilateral environmental agreements and the 2030 Agenda held during the second session. D. Knowledge management 9. The Secretariat is participating in the UNEP Committee on Knowledge Management s knowledge management strategy for The aim of the Committee is to develop novel approaches that respond to the changing global context, promoting the dissemination of knowledge through networks of online and geographically distributed communities. 10. As part of that effort, UNEP is enhancing its interaction with the multilateral environmental agreements to manage data and information streams jointly, including aligning UNEP policies, procedures, standards, roles and responsibilities to improve external knowledge dissemination and exchange with stakeholders and the environment community. 2

3 E. High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development UNEP/OzL.Pro.WG.1/38/INF/2 11. The President of the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol was invited by the President of the Economic and Social Council in April 2016 to share relevant input and information on how the Montreal Protocol addresses the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development from the perspective of ensuring that no one is left behind. 1 Submissions by intergovernmental bodies and their representatives, including the submission by the President of the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Parties, 2 are available online on the United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform at as an input to the 2016 meeting of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. F. International Plant Protection Convention 12. Upon request by and in consultation with the co-chairs of the Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee, the Secretariat approached the secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention seeking to revive cooperation, as set out in the memorandum of understanding signed between the two secretariats in The aim of such cooperation, as stated in paragraph 14 of section II of the memorandum, on the scope of cooperation between the two secretariats, is to promote and facilitate collaboration between the Montreal Protocol and the IPPC through joint participation of technical experts in the technical panels and committees of both treaties, such as the Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee, the Technical Panel on Phytosanitary Treatments and the Expert Working Group on Alternatives to Methyl Bromide, to enhance communication and advice consistent with the aims of both agreements. 13. In a prompt response to the Secretariat s request, the International Plant Protection Convention secretariat provided an update on the work of the Convention in relation to methyl bromide issues and offered the possibility to experts from the Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee to provide comments on relevant draft international standards for phytosanitary measures presently under development within the framework of the Convention, through an online comment system. Possibilities for the participation of the methyl bromide experts of the two regimes in each other s meetings are also being explored. G. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development III. 14. The Secretariat provided input to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) entitled International regulatory cooperation: the role of international organisations. The report was presented at the third annual meeting of international organizations held back to back with the OECD Regulatory Policy Committee meeting on 15 April It will be published and launched in November Secretariat s information and communication activities A. Update of online handbooks 15. The online handbooks in their HTML format of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol have been updated in the six official languages of the United Nations. For each decision that refers to one or more annexes of reports of Meetings of the Parties, links to the referenced annexes are being included to allow easier checking of referenced annexes, thereby improving the readability of decisions with associated annexes. B. Enhancement of features on the Secretariat s website 16. Improved functionalities have been introduced in the Secretariat s website data centre for the viewing of data tables, enabling quick analysis of some aspects of the information. The functionalities allow, in particular, sorting of data by a single click, limiting the number of parties displayed on screen and determining the largest or smallest consumers for a given year. 1 The inputs follow a specific template, inspired by the report of the Secretary-General on critical milestones towards coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level (A/70/684)

4 C. Communication campaign In 2015, the world marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Convention under the theme 30 years of healing the ozone together and the slogan Ozone: all there is between you and UV. 18. The Secretariat conducted the Precious ozone digital campaign and outreach activities to commemorate this important milestone and the 2015 International Ozone Day. The campaign reached 1,346,012 people through outreach activities that included the dissemination of ozone-related messages and campaign products, such as videos, multidimensional images, animations and interactive web tools through the Secretariat s website, UNEP digital and social media channels and other outlets. 19. The campaign communicated the successes of ozone protection efforts by the nations of the world over the past 30 years; the latest scientific findings of ozone recovery; the health, economic and climate benefits of ozone protection; and current and future challenges that need to be addressed for continued success. The campaign products are available on the Secretariat s website at the following link: D. Carbon off-setting for The Secretariat continues to work towards climate neutrality and has, for the second year running, measured the carbon footprint of all the meetings held and operations conducted under the Montreal Protocol in 2015 and offset the greenhouse gas emissions created. 21. The Secretariat has purchased an equivalent of 1,772 tons of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with travel to and from meetings and related operations in 2015, determined in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The Secretariat offset the entire carbon footprint of flights to ensure the meetings were climate-neutral. 22. In collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Secretariat worked to determine the carbon footprint and purchase certified emission reductions from the Adaptation Fund, which finances projects and programmes to help developing countries adapt to the negative effects of climate change. A certificate from the Framework Convention on Climate Change confirming the voluntary cancellation of 1,772 Adaptation Fund certified emission reductions from the Clean Development Mechanism is available at the following link: E. International Ozone Day This year s International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, to be marked on 16 September, will be commemorated under the theme, Ozone and climate: restored by a world united. The theme is complemented by the tag line, Working towards reducing global-warming HFCs under the Montreal Protocol. 24. The theme recognizes the collective efforts of the parties to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol towards the restoration of the ozone layer over the past three decades and the global commitment to combat climate change. The tagline reflects ongoing work by the parties to the Montreal Protocol under the Dubai pathway on hydrofluorocarbons adopted in decision XXVII/1 in As mandated in the Dubai pathway, the parties are working within the Montreal Protocol towards a hydrofluorocarbon amendment in 2016, resolving challenges by generating solutions in the contact group on hydrofluorocarbons. 25. To support public awareness activities in marking International Ozone Day, the Secretariat has developed a poster that is available for download and dissemination by parties in their commemorative activities at the following link: Once again, the Secretariat will provide limited financial assistance to four developing countries to contribute towards organizing their national activities to commemorate the day. F. Mobile application 26. Since 2014, the Secretariat has provided a mobile application as an additional platform through which parties can access meeting documents, information on meeting venues, details of side events, presentations and other useful content during meetings. The mobile application also allows registered users to interact among themselves and personalize its content. It is updated continuously before and 4

5 during meetings. 3 Its usage among parties has also grown steadily, with up to 76 delegates using the mobile application during thirty-seventh meeting of the Open-ended Working Group. IV. Secretariat missions in In addition to the thirty-seventh meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol organized by the Secretariat in April 2016 in response to decision XXVII/1, between January and May 2016 the Secretariat undertook a number of missions in furtherance of the goals of the Montreal Protocol as outlined in the following paragraphs: A. Event marking the closure of the first stage of the demonstration project for the disposal of unwanted ozone-depleting substances in Mexico 28. The Secretariat was invited to participate in the event marking the closure of the first stage of the demonstration project for the disposal of unwanted ozone-depleting substances which was organized and officiated at the highest level by the Government of Mexico and took place at the country s Quimobascos plant in Monterrey on 26 January The event was also attended by representatives of the Government of Mexico, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Government of France and industry. The Secretariat congratulated the Government of Mexico on the implementation of the project with technical assistance from UNIDO and for overcoming the financial, technological and technical barriers associated with the destruction of ozone-depleting substances. 4 B. Workshop entitled The most important development on MOP Ozone Depleting Substances and HFCs available alternatives on AC, refrigeration and foam industries 29. At the invitation by the Government of Saudi Arabia, the Executive Secretary attended the above-mentioned workshop, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 23 and 24 February 2016, and participated in panel discussions on the challenges that may be faced by industries in a possible transition away from HFCs. C. Sixth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment 30. The Secretariat was invited to participate in the sixth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), held in Cairo from 16 to 19 April The session provided, inter alia, (a) a platform for ministers and delegates to assess the implications for Africa of the Paris Agreement on climate change; (b) a platform for deliberation on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; (c) a common approach for engagement in the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP held in Nairobi from 23 to 27 May Ozone protection was discussed in the context of expressing support to the ongoing efforts by parties to the Montreal Protocol to amend the Protocol to phase down hydrofluorocarbons, which formed part of the ministers declaration on a wide range of environmental issues, which was an outcome of the session. 5 D meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group on Ozone 31. The Secretariat participated in the 2016 annual meeting of the World Meteorological Organization s Scientific Advisory Group on Ozone, held in Zurich, Switzerland, on 5 and 6 May The Group aims, inter alia, to provide advice on and promote reliable ground-based 3 The application may be found under the UNEP Events application available on the application stores of Android and Apple devices. The content of the app can also be accessed through web browsers. 4 The Quimobascos plant, which manufactures alternatives to ozone-depleting substances that are currently being phased out, entered into an agreement with UNIDO for the destruction of 74.5 metric tonnes (equivalent to 52 ODPtonnes) of unwanted ozone-depleting substances which were in storage awaiting disposal. The project was approved for funding by the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol in 2011 in response to decision XX/7, paragraph 2, of the Twentieth Meeting of the Parties, in which it requested the Executive Committee to consider, as a matter of urgency, the funding of pilot projects that may cover the collection, transport, storage and destruction of ozone-depleting substances. 5 The AMCEN declaration is available at the following link: 5

6 measurements of stratospheric ozone. At its 2016 meeting, the Group discussed the status of activities under its purview, including global measurements of total ozone and ozone profiles, satellite measurements and associated projects. It also discussed challenges in the calibration of total ozone instruments and made recommendations for actions to deal with those and to further its work. 32. Together with the World Meteorological Organization representative, the Secretariat briefed the Group on the key elements of decisions adopted during the 2014 tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and Twenty-Sixth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol of relevance to its work. It also provided information to the Group on the outcome of the first meeting of the advisory committee of the Vienna Convention Trust Fund and the Secretariat s communication to parties inviting contributions and calling for project proposals to be considered for funding under the Trust Fund. E. Seventy-sixth meeting of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol 33. The Secretariat attended the seventy-sixth meeting of the Executive Committee, held in Montreal, Canada, from 9 to 13 May 2016, at which the Committee discussed, inter alia: (a) the status of contributions, disbursements and resource planning; (b) project proposals and approved Hydrochlorofluorocarbon Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) stage II projects for several countries, the extension of institutional strengthening projects, one national survey of alternatives to ozonedepleting substances, and demonstration projects for low-global warming potential technologies; (c) calculation of the incremental capital and operating costs for foam sector alternatives; (d) calculation of the incremental costs of the conversion of heat exchangers; (e) the template for the draft agreements for HPMP stage II (which was approved); and (f) the operation of the Executive Committee. The summary of the meeting and the final report of the meeting have been posted on the website for the seventy-sixth meeting by the Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund. 6 F. Network meetings of Ozone Officers 34. In the period from January to May 2016, representatives of the Secretariat participated in the following network meetings of Ozone Officers organized by UNEP under its OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme: (a) Joint network meetings of Ozone Officers for African countries and West Asian countries, back-to-back with thematic meetings on non-ozone-depleting substances alternatives surveys, held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from 17 to 23 March 2016; (b) Joint meeting of the OzonAction networks of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Santiago from 16 to 19 May 2016; (c) Regional customs cooperation meeting and Ozone Protection Award for Customs and Enforcement Officers and the annual meeting of the Regional Ozone Network for Europe and Central Asia, held in Ashgabat from 24 to 27 May At the above-mentioned meetings, the Secretariat presented, as appropriate, the key outcomes of the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Parties, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 1 to 5 November 2015, and the thirty-seventh meeting of the Open-ended Working Group, held in Geneva from 4 to 8 April 2016, along with a preview of issues for consideration by the Open-ended Working Group at its resumed thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth meetings, and at the Third Extraordinary Meeting of the Parties, to be held in Vienna from 15 to 23 July The Secretariat also addressed the status of compliance of parties in the respective regions and consulted bilaterally with several parties offering advice on issues of interest. 36. The Secretariat also plans to attend the joint network and thematic meetings of the National Ozone Officers of Asia and the Pacific to be held in Suva from 14 to 20 June

7 V. Status of staff recruitments UNEP/OzL.Pro.WG.1/38/INF/2 37. The Ozone Secretariat is in the process of recruiting a programme officer to fill the position of Compliance and Monitoring Officer which is currently vacant. It is expected that the recruitment will be completed in June 2016 and the successful candidate will be able to join the Ozone Secretariat team before the end of the year. 7