KIGALI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda is set to host the 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (MOP38) from Nov. 2 to 6 in Kigali, with the meeting expected to advance global action to protect the ozone layer and address climate change, authorities announced Wednesday.
In a statement, Rwandan Minister of Environment Bernadette Arakwiye said the meeting comes 10 years after delegates came together in the same capital to adopt the Kigali Amendment, committing countries to gradually phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful greenhouse gases widely used in refrigeration and air conditioning.
"MOP38 is an opportunity to recognize the progress made, while also looking at what more is needed to fully implement the commitments we made," Arakwiye said.
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is widely recognized as one of the world's most successful environmental agreements, which has enabled the global phase-out of the vast majority of ozone-depleting substances and put the ozone layer on a path to recovery, she added.
Megumi Seki, executive secretary of the Ozone Secretariat at the United Nations Environment Program, said the Montreal Protocol has demonstrated what sustained international cooperation can achieve.
"Ten years after the adoption of the Kigali Amendment, returning to Kigali gives Parties an opportunity to take stock of progress and strengthen implementation for the next decade," she said.
Seki noted that continuing the HFC phasedown, improving energy efficiency and moving toward universal ratification of the Kigali Amendment would be important to realizing its full climate benefits. ■