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2020 Ozone Day letter by
James S. Curlin,
Acting Head of OzonAction Law Division,
UN Environment Programme

Dear National Ozone Officers,

It is my sincere hope that you, your families and colleagues are all remaining safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted individuals, countries and businesses worldwide. Health guidelines and travel restrictions means that we are celebrating a very different World Ozone Day (WOD) this year on 16 September, with reduced opportunities for outreach and face-to-face interactions with the public and key target groups. In spite of these challenges, I commend you and your teams in the National Ozone Units for your dedication, resilience, and innovative approach in continuing your country's work to implement the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, including WOD celebrations.

This year's WOD has a special significance since it commemorates the signature of the Vienna Convention, the world's first ozone treaty, in 1985. That landmark agreement established the framework for international scientific and research cooperation on the status of the ozone layer and paved the way for the Montreal Protocol. This year’s theme ‘Ozone for Life: 35 Years of Ozone Layer Protection,’ gives us the opportunity to reflect with satisfaction on the accomplishments of these two treaties to date, and look ahead to their evolving role for both ozone layer and climate protection. Without everyone's commitment, collaboration and sense of common purpose, we would not have achieved this "stratospheric" level of success.

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have arisen from mankind's mistreatment of nature. The consequences of ozone depletion – excessive and dangerous UV radiation impacting human health – is another example of how humans have adversely affected the global environment. On this WOD, we can highlight the positive lesson learned from the two successful ozone treaties: the world community can unite and find a solution to a major global crisis, through differentiated but equal responsibilities, universal participation, and equity. They prove that when the world is dedicated to solving a problem, it can do so. The ozone treaties give us hope and inspiration that we will find a way to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic too.

For this year’s WOD, the OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) is pleased to provide you with two new services: one is a new service designed specifically for you, the National Ozone Officer, and the other is suitable for outreach to national stakeholders:

• HCFC Quota and Licence Tracker (desktop application). National Ozone Officers have the great responsibility of managing the allocation and monitoring of quotas for substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol. This process can be complex with many importers, especially if the country imports a range of different hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and mixtures containing HCFCs. To address this challenge, OzonAction developed a new desktop application that helps Ozone Officers with the tasks of planning, calculating, monitoring and managing consumption quotas and licences. It can be used on a daily basis to track and manage the current year's quota allocations for different importers, or for future planning by trying different scenarios that adjust the type of substances imported, their quantity, or the number of importers. The HCFC Quota and Licence Tracker allows Ozone Officers to see the effect of such scenarios on the national HCFC consumption and helps ensure that the quotas stay within agreed HCFC Phase out Management Plan (HPMP) targets. The tracker is available on the OzonAction website.
• Energy Efficiency Literacy for Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems (e-learning). Maintaining and improving energy efficiency during the phase out of HCFCs/phase down of HFCs are the aspirations of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. With climate change of increasing concern, it is critical to understand how energy efficiency in air conditioning and refrigeration can reduce both CO2 emissions and operating costs. UNEP OzonAction, in cooperation with United for Efficiency (U4E), Kigali Cooling Efficiency Programme (KCEP) and ASHRAE have jointly developed a new introductory e-learning course to increase the awareness and understanding of government policy makers, community stakeholders and business leaders about energy-efficiency related to air conditioning and refrigeration. It is a 4-hour, self-paced virtual course that concludes with a final exam leading to Certificate of Successful Completion issued by ASHRAE. Attached is a flyer to the course where it outlines its content and presents how individuals can enroll.

The next page lists some of the recent online tools and videos produced by OzonAction that you can share with stakeholders during your national celebrations. Beyond those resources, OzonAction also has a wide range of other existing information and awareness-raising materials that could also be used for your national celebrations. Please refer to the Ozone Day webpage on the OzonAction website for several examples.

We would appreciate very much to receive information about your country's WOD activities or reports about what took place for posting on the World Ozone Day page. Please send this information to your Network’s Montreal Protocol Coordinator or directly to Ms. Jo Chona at Ова адреса ел. поште је заштићена од спамботова. Омогућите JavaScript да бисте је видели.. Sharing such information is very encouraging and inspiring for the entire Montreal Protocol community.

We thank you for your ongoing commitment to maintain compliance with the Montreal Protocol and your excellent work in implementing your national strategies and projects. On behalf of the entire OzonAction CAP team, I wish you great success in this year's WOD celebration!

Yours sincerely,
James S. Curlin
Acting Head of OzonAction Law Division
UN Environment Programme