The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a global agreement to protect the Earth’s ozone layer by phasing out the chemicals that deplete it. This phase-out plan includes both the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. The landmark agreement was signed in 1987 and entered into force in 1989.

The parties to the Protocol meet once a year to make decisions aimed at ensuring the successful implementation of the agreement. These include adjusting or amending the Protocol, which has been done six times since its creation. The most recent amendment, the Kigali Amendment, called for the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in 2016. These HFCs were used as replacements for a batch of ozone-depleting substances eliminated by the original Montreal Protocol. Although they do not deplete the ozone layer, they are known to be powerful greenhouse gases and, thus, contributors to climate change.

The Montreal Protocol provided a set of practical, actionable tasks that were universally agreed on. The Protocol has successfully met its objectives thus far and continues to safeguard the ozone layer today. Thanks to the collaborative effort of nations around the world, the ozone layer is well on its way to recovery.

Introduction

The Protocol, along with the Vienna Convention, achieved universal participation on 16 September 2009 – the first treaties of any kind in the history of the United Nations system to achieve that aspiration.

The online edition is updated on a regular basis to include relevant information from 1989 to date.

• Section 1 contains the text of the Montreal Protocol and a summary guide to its control measures. The section has been updated to include the Kigali Amendment to the Protocol. According to this Amendment, a new group of chemicals, the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), are to be phased down.
• Section 2 contains the decisions of the Meetings of the Parties and is updated regularly to incorporate decisions adopted by Meetings of the Parties each year.
• Section 3, which is also updated regularly, presents information from the relevant annexes to the decisions. These include destruction procedures for ozone-depleting substances, essential-use exemptions and critical-use exemptions for methyl bromide, the terms of reference of the assessment panels, the non-compliance procedure of the Protocol, the Multilateral Fund, financial issues and declarations by the parties.
• Section 4 contains information on the rules of procedure.
• Section 5 contains information on the evolution of the Montreal Protocol. This valuable historical information on the original 1987 Montreal Protocol and the separate adjustments and amendments to the Protocol that were adopted by the Meetings of the Parties in 1990, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2007, 2016 and 2018 is of interest in demonstrating how the ozone regime has evolved over time in line with evolving scientific knowledge and technological developments.

Complementary to this edition is the online version of the Handbook for the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.

Download Resources

Download Handbook of Montreal Protocol 

Download the Montreal Protocol in PDF