TEHRAN – Iran has called for continued international cooperation to protect the ozone layer, with Hossein Shahbaz, head of the country’s Ozone Layer Protection Unit, highlighting Iran’s active role in phasing out ozone-depleting substances.
Shahbaz made the remarks at the 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (MOP38), held in Kigali, Rwanda, from November 2 to 6.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining global cooperation and collective efforts to safeguard the ozone layer and advance the objectives of the Montreal Protocol.
Outlining Iran’s measures and programs to protect the ozone layer, Shahbaz presented an account of the achievements, the latest status of the Kigali Amendment ratification, and the future initiatives of the Department of Environment (DOE) to meet the implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
He also elaborated on the impacts of US-Israeli attacks on the country’s infrastructure, highlighting that these assaults have delayed the ratification of the Kigali Amendment.
The MOP 38 reviewed issues related to the implementation of the Protocol, commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Kigali Amendment, and adopted the 2027-2029 replenishment of the multilateral fund.
The Meeting of the Parties celebrated the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol adopted in 2016 that extended the regulation under the Protocol to HFC compounds (hydrofluorocarbons).