UNIS/SGSM/1433
13 September 2024
At a time when multilateralism is under severe strain, the Montreal Protocol to help protect the ozone layer stands out as a powerful symbol of hope. It is a reminder that when countries show political resolve for the common good, change is possible.
In uniting the world to phase out the consumption and production of different ozone depleting substances, the Protocol has also contributed to shielding carbon sinks, protecting humanity’s health, and avoiding economic losses.
The ozone layer, once an ailing patient, is on the road to recovery.
Now, it’s time to go further.
The Protocol’s Kigali Amendment -- which focuses on phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – powerful climate-warming gases – can contribute to advancing climate mitigation efforts, protecting people and planet. And that is needed more than ever as temperature records continue to shatter.
If fully ratified and implemented, the Kigali Amendment could help avoid as much as 0.5 degrees Celsius of global heating by the end of this century. Yet, a range of climate solutions – including those related to refrigerants and energy efficiency – are also needed to avert a climate crisis by mid-century.
Four out of every five nations have ratified the Kigali Amendment, but the clock is ticking.
On this World Ozone Day, let’s commit to making peace with our planet. Let’s commit to build on the success of the Montreal Protocol to show what international cooperation at its best can achieve.
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With the deposit of the instrument of accession at the UN Headquarters in New York, Bahrain becomes the sixteenth State Party to the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, also known as the "Singapore Convention on Mediation".
Visa-free entry, temporary protection and targeted anti-trafficking measures across Europe for refugees from Ukraine are effectively mitigating trafficking and smuggling risks, suggests a new study from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), launched today in Kyiv.
The new Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations (Vienna), Yurii Vitrenko, presented his credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
During its 142nd session, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) focused on ensuring the functioning of the international drug control system and efforts to ensure the availability of controlled medicines and to prevent illicit drug manufacture, diversion and misuse.
