Environment Public Authority, UN bodies discuss ozone depletion

The Environment Public Authority (EPA) is gearing up for various meetings with UN organizations to discuss developing the unified system on ozone depleting substances in accordance with the Montreal Protocol. Chairman of Air Quality Monitoring Department in the Authority Ayman Bojbara told KUNA Monday that the meetings will be held with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in a matter of days.The meetings will discuss legal aspects to guarantee interests of all parties related to the Montreal Protocol, he said, and prepare for GCC coordination in this regard. The meetings will also discuss implementation mechanisms, and the authority's experts will present their ideas and proposals, relying on Kuwait's experience in adhering to the Protocol.The authority is cooperating with public and private sector organizations to guarantee the implementation of the amendments to the system, said the official. Furthermore, the prohibition on use or setting of quotas for ozone depleting substances will be of positive impact on the environment, he stressed.The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion.The treaty was opened for signature on September 16, 1987, and entered into force on January 1st 1989. Since then, there had been seven revisions, the last adopted in 1999 in Beijing.