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 XIX/26: Report on the establishment of licensing systems under Article 4B of the Montreal Protocol

Noting that paragraph 3 of Article 4B of the Montreal Protocol requires each Party, within three months of the date of introducing its system for licensing the import and export of new, used, recycled and reclaimed substances in Annexes A, B, C and E of the Protocol, to report to the Secretariat on the establishment and operation of that system,

Noting with appreciation that 143 Parties to the Montreal Amendment to the Protocol have established import and export licensing systems for ozone-depleting substances as required under the terms of the amendment,

Noting also with appreciation that 26 Parties to the Protocol that have not yet ratified the Montreal Amendment have also established import and export licensing systems for ozone-depleting substances,

Recognizing that licensing systems provide for the monitoring of imports and exports of ozone‑depleting substances, prevent illegal trade and enable data collection,

  1. To record that Barbados, Cook Islands, Eritrea, Haiti, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Tonga, United Republic of Tanzania and Uzbekistan are Parties to the Montreal Amendment to the Protocol, that they have not yet established import and export licensing systems for ozone-depleting substances and are therefore in non-compliance with Article 4B of the Protocol and that financial assistance has been approved for all of them;
  2. To request each of the 12 Parties listed in paragraph 1 to submit to the Secretariat as a matter of urgency and no later than 29 February 2008, for consideration by the Implementation Committee under the Non-Compliance Procedure of the Montreal Protocol at its fortieth meeting, a plan of action to ensure the prompt establishment and operation of an import and export licensing system for ozone‑depleting substances;
  3. To encourage all remaining Parties to the Protocol that have not yet ratified the Montreal Amendment to ratify it and to establish import and export licensing systems for ozone-depleting substances if they have not yet done so;
  4. To urge all Parties that already operate licensing systems for ozone-depleting substances to ensure that they are structured in accordance with Article 4B of the Protocol and that they are implemented and enforced effectively;
  5. To review periodically the status of the establishment of import and export licensing systems for ozone‑depleting substances by all Parties to the Protocol, as called for in Article 4B of the Protocol