Ratification declaration notes

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

(a) The instrument of ratification specifies that the Convention is ratified in respect of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Monserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Saint Helena, Saint Helena Dependencies, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and the United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in the Island of Cyprus. A similar application was expressed in respect of the Montreal Protocol but without extending it to the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekalia. The United Kingdom's ratification of the London Amendment was extended to the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Bailiwick of Jersey, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Virgin Islands, and Gibraltar. The Copenhagen Amendment was extended to the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Bailiwick of Jersey, and the British Virgin Islands. No extensions have been made in respect of the Montreal or Beijing Amendment. On 6 July 1990, the Secretary-General received from the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland the following objection concerning the reservations made by Argentina: The instrument contained a reservation rejecting the ratification of the Convention by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in respect of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the British Antarctic Territory. The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland wishes to state that they have no doubt as to British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the British Antarctic Territory, and their consequent right to extend treaties to those territories. In respect of the British Antarctic Territory, the Government of the United Kingdom would draw attention to the provisions of Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty of 1 December 1959, to which both Argentina and the United Kingdom are parties. For the above reasons the Government of the United Kingdom rejects the Argentine reservation.

On 2 August 1990, the following objection was received by the Depositary from the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

"The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have no doubt as to British Sovereignty over the British Antarctic Territory. In this respect, the Government of the United Kingdom would draw attention to the provisions of Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty of 1 December 1959 to which both Chile and the United Kingdom are parties. For the above reasons, the Government of the United Kingdom rejects the Chile declaration."

On 27 January 1993, the UN Secretary-General received from the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland the following communication with respect to the declarations made by Mauritius upon the latter's accession to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer:

"The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have no doubt as to British sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory and their consequent right to extend the application of the above Convention and Protocol to it. Accordingly the Government of the United Kingdom do not accept or regard as having any legal effect the declarations made by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius."

(b) On 10 June 1997, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland notified the United Nations Secretary-General of the following:

In accordance with the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the question of Hong Kong signed on 19 December 1984, the Government of the United Kingdom will restore Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China with effect from 1 July 1997. The Government of the United Kingdom will continue to have international responsibility for Hong Kong until that date. Therefore, from that date the Government of the United Kingdom will cease to be responsible for the international rights and obligations arising from the application of the Vienna Convention, Montreal Protocol and the Amendment to Hong Kong.

(c) On 8 August 2014, the United Nations Secretary General issued the following communication:
“…the Government of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland wishes the United Kingdom’s ratification of the Copenhagen (1992), Montreal (1997) and Beijing Amendment (1999) be extended to the territory of Gibraltar for whose international relations the United Kingdom is responsible. The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland considers the extension of the amendments to the territory of Gibraltar to enter into force on the day of receipt of this notification by the depositary for deposit.”

(d) On 18 October 2019, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland notified the United Nations Secretary General of the following:
“The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland hereby extends the application of the United Kingdom’s ratification of the Kigali Amendment to Gibraltar, for whose international relations the United Kingdom is responsible. The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland hereby declares that the Kigali Amendment shall be extended to Gibraltar as from the date of receipt of this declaration.”

(e) On 4 August 2020, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland notified the United Nations Secretary-General of the following in respect of the Montreal Amendment (1997) to the Montreal Protocol:
“… the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland hereby extends the application of the United Kingdom's Ratification of the Montreal Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to the territory of the Bailiwick of Jersey for whose international relations the United Kingdom is responsible. The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland considers the extension of the Montreal Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to the territory of the Bailiwick of Jersey to be effective on the day of receipt of this notification…”

(f) On 4 August 2020, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland notified the United Nations Secretary-General of the following in respect of the Beijing Amendment (1999) to the Montreal Protocol:
“… the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland hereby extends the application of the United Kingdom's Ratification of the Beijing Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to the territory of the Bailiwick of Jersey for whose international relations the United Kingdom is responsible. The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland considers the extension of the Beijing Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to the territory of the Bailiwick of Jersey to be effective on the day of receipt of this notification…”

(g) On 25 February 2021, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, acting in his capacity as depositary, communicated the extension of the territorial application to the Isle of Man of the of the London, Copenhagen, Montreal, Beijing and Kigali Amendments to the Montreal Protocol by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
“... the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland hereby extends the application of the United Kingdom’s ratification of the... London…Copenhagen…Montreal... Beijing….Kigali… [Amendment] to the Montreal Protocol to the territory of the Isle of Man for the international relations of which the United Kingdom is responsible. The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland considers the extension of the... London…Copenhagen…Montreal... Beijing….Kigali… [Amendment] to the Montreal Protocol to the territory of the Isle of Man to be effective on the day of receipt of this notification...”