30 years of healing the ozone together

A special round table embracing participation of deputies of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, representatives of ministries and agencies, social and environmental organizations, will be arranged within the program of this event. Moreover, some interactive games and subject-based contests, photo sessions and quizzes exposing the significance and importance of the ozone layer preservation have been prepared for this occasion. Joint organizers of the events are the State Committee for Nature Protection of Uzbekistan, UNDP and GEF.

This year, the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer marks the 30th anniversary of the multilateral environmental agreement “The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer”. The Vienna Convention was agreed upon at the Vienna Conference on March 22, 1985. The states, which signed and ratified this treaty, have undertaken to collaborate in the field of research and scientific assessment of the ozone layer condition, exchange the relevant information and take “adequate measures” to prevent activities potentially endangering the ozone layer.

The most significant achievement was the signing of the Montreal Protocol to the mentioned convention. These documents are the only agreements in the history that received worldwide ratification. Since then, 4 amendments have been made to the Protocol at different times. These amendments have widened the list of the controlled ozone-depleting substances, time schedule for elimination of their production and consumption, as well as measures to limit relevant export-import operations.

According to experts, the ozone layer will be recovered as a result of the global gradual elimination of the ozone-depleting substances from household, industrial and agricultural use, and is estimated to be normalized by the middle of this century.

At present, 197 states are the parties to both Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol.

Uzbekistan has ratified the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol in 1993 and, after having ratified all of the amendments on a phased basis, Uzbekistan is in the status of full compliance with all relevant requirements and provisions.

Up-to-date performance results and achievements of the Republic of Uzbekistan in terms of implementation of fundamental global initiatives of the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol have been voiced in the course of the round table meeting. Participants have been made aware of the measures taken in our country with regard to protection of the ozone layer both at legislative and executive levels, as well as of prospective areas in the field of reduction of use of ODS (ozone-depleting substances).

As mentioned in the report of Nadezhda Dotsenko, Head of the Chief Directorate on protection of atmosphere, State Committee for Nature Protection, and Chief Coordinator of the joint project of the State Committee for Nature Protection of Uzbekistan, UNDP and GEF “Initial Implementation Accelerated HCFC Phase-out in the CEIT Region - Uzbekistan”, 95.95% of ODS have been already fully phased out that is ahead of the schedule determined by the Montreal Protocol.

Participation in the implementation of the Montreal protocol and consistent compliance with international requirements provides our country with the following economic benefits:

- retain and get access to the world ODS markets, have opportunity to import ODS for maintenance of existing equipment;

- get access to financial and technical aid from the GEF. Previously mentioned full-scale regional project “Initial Implementation Accelerated HCFC Phase-out in the CEIT Region - Uzbekistan” was approved within the fourth phase “GEF-4”. This project was included in the Action plan on environmental protection for 2013-2017 approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The project “Initial Implementation Accelerated ODS Phase-out in the CEIT Region - Uzbekistan” is being implemented in line with two components:

• The regional component will support the country in exchanging best practices with the governments of other CIS countries, and thus enable improvements of approaches to manage HCFCs on a national level.

• The national component will be dedicated to building up the capacities of public and private sectors to gradually reduce their dependence on imports of HCFCs, by delivering modern equipment to extract and recycle HCFCs, and by improving the practices of maintaining refrigeration equipment and air conditioning systems.

Search for innovations for the purpose of gradual phasing out of ODS in household, industrial and agricultural use is now under way. During the round table discussions, the representative of the UNDP joint project has presented the report “Building up the capacity in the cooling industry” on innovative ideas being introduced on an international level.

To ensure the progress in phasing out of ODS in the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan has adopted the Resolution “On improvement of regulation of import and export of ODS and ODS-containing products to/from Uzbekistan”, bans on import and export of ODS and ODS-containing products with countries, which are not party to Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol, have been introduced, system for regulating the import/export of ODS and ODS-containing products and other requirements have been introduced and put in force. The representative of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan has described the details of the activities of the customs control of illegal trafficking of ODS and ODS-containing products in his report.

The main objective on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is to increase the awareness of population about the current threats of depletion of the ozone layers, role of the ozone layer in mitigating the negative effects of the UV radiation on health, flora and fauna. Why you need to know about the preservation of the ozone layer, what objects of the household use may affect the “home atmosphere” and how you can protect yourself and people around you from the negative effect of solar UV radiation – answers to all these questions have been given to the junior participants in the second part of the program organized specially for a wider public.

Contests, quizzes, vivid stage performances by children, prizes and gifts – left a bright impression in everyone’s mind and uncovered for them the importance of the common team spirit in solution of environmental issues.