Friday 10 July 2009
- Iraq's country strategy to eliminate ozone-depleting
substances is on track after being approved
at the 58th Meeting of the Executive Committee
of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation
of the Montreal Protocol.
Iraq wants to eliminate
ozone depleting substances (ODS) such as
CFCs from its refrigeration and foam industries
by 1 January 2010 in accordance with the
target set under the Montreal Protocol,
an international treaty set up to protect
the ozone layer.
The Multilateral Fund
will provide Iraq with almost US $6.3 million
to finance its plans to phase-out CFCs,
halons, carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethane.
UNEP and UNIDO, the Multilateral Fund's
implementing agencies, will work together
with the Government of Iraq and Iraqi enterprises
and will discuss the choice of replacement
technologies to explore whether new ozone
friendly technologies with additional climate
benefits can be utilized in order to make
the finance Iraq receives work on two environmental
protection fronts.
During their meeting,
Executive Committee members commended the
commitment of the Government of Iraq which
became a Party to the Montreal Protocol
only in June 2008. Iraq has made colossal
strides towards achieving compliance with
the 2010 Montreal Protocol deadline despite
the difficult circumstances prevailing in
the country.
The Executive Committee
applauded the assistance and guidance provided
to the Government of Iraq by UNEP and UNIDO.
The work of the agencies led to Iraq's ratification
of the Vienna Convention and the Montreal
Protocol and all its amendments in 2008,
the establishment of a system to monitor
trade in ODS, and the preparation of the
national ODS elimination plan for Iraq.
Due to security restrictions staff from
UNEP and UNIDO were unable to enter Iraq
and so instead the agencies worked with
national Iraqi experts in workshops and
meetings outside Iraq in nearby countries.
Iraq is also working on
plans to reduce its consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs) commonly used in air-conditioning
appliances, in accordance with the Montreal
Protocol's accelerated phase-out schedule
agreed in 2007. In 2008 Iraq received finance
from the Multilateral Fund to prepare a
plan to address the freeze the consumption
of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) in 2013
and reduce consumption by 2015 and expects
to submit a full HCFC phase-out management
plan to the Executive Committee in 2009.
Notes to Editors:
The Multilateral Fund
for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol
began its operation in 1991. The main objective
of the Multilateral Fund is to assist developing
country parties to the Montreal Protocol
whose annual per capita consumption and
production of ozone-depleting substances
is less than 0.3 kg to comply with the control
measures of the Protocol. These countries
are referred to as Article 5 countries.
The Fund is managed
by an Executive Committee chaired in 2009
by Mr. Husamuddin Ahmadzaiof Sweden. The
Committee is assisted by the Fund Secretariat
which is based in Montreal. Activities are
implemented by four international agencies
(UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, World Bank) and a number
of bilateral implementing agencies of donor
countries. Responsibility for overseeing
the operation of the Fund rests with the
Executive Committee comprising seven members
each from Article 5 countries (China, Dominican
Republic, Gabon, Namibia and Yemen in 2009)
and non-Article 5 countries (Australia,
Belgium, Germany, Japan, Romania, Sweden
and the USA in 2009). Since 1991, the Multilateral
Fund has approved activities including industrial
conversion, technical assistance, training
and capacity building worth over US $2.3
billion.
For more information please contact:
Julia Anne Dearing
Information Management Officer
Multilateral Fund Secretariat
