Ninth Meeting of the conference of

the parties to the vienna convention

and

TwentY third Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

Bali, Indonesia, 21-25 November 2011

COUNTRY STATEMENT - BANGLADESH

Mr. A.S.M. Feroz

Hon’ble Member of Parliament and Whip (State Minister)

Bangladesh Parliament

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Statement of the Leader of the Delegation

Mr. President

Hon’ble Ministers

Excellencies

Distinguished Delegates

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning/ Good Afternoon to all.

I am greatly honoured and privileged to be here in this prestigious event in the beautiful Indonesian city of Bali. On behalf of Bangladesh delegation and personally I extend my sincere gratitude and thanks to the people and the Government of Indonesia for hosting this important meeting and also for extending the warm and generous hospitality to us.

I also take this opportunity in congratulating you on your assignment as Chair. I am confident that under your able leadership, and with the assistance of the Bureau, we will have a fruitful meeting in Bali.

Mr. President,

Since accession to the Montreal Protocol on 2 August 1990 and subsequent ratification of amendments of the Protocol, our government has been implementing Montreal Protocol in Bangladesh and successfully completed 100% reduction target in 2010 in the Refrigeration & Air-condition sector and also in the solvent and other sectors. Currently, we have only a little consumption of CFCs in the MDI sector under approved Essential Use Nomination. We have developed a very effective Private Public Partnership (PPP) in our country with the relevant sectors during phase-out of ODSs.

For MDI sector, we are implementing a conversion project under the Multilateral Fund assistance. The government has taken fast track implementation procedure and by this time about 8(Eight) CFC-based products have successfully been converted. All other activities are going fast and we hope by 2012 all the remaining CFC based products will be converted.

Mr. President,

As one of the most vulnerable countries to the climate Change, in principle, we are happy to phase out all high global warming potential elements including HFCs under Montreal Protocol provided that we get sufficient financial and technical assistance from the multilateral fund. As a parliament member of the climate affected coastal area of Bangladesh, I am very concerned with adverse impacts of climate change in my country. I would like to bring it to your kind notice that currently more than 60 parliament members of the coastal belt are working together on this issue under a platform called “Parliament Members’ Forum on Climate Change Bangladesh”. I am pleased to announce that we are happy to work on the Ozone issues in my country.

Mr. President,

The Montreal Protocol has been successful in protecting the ozone layer by reducing production and consumption of ozone depleting substances. Since 01 January 2010, major ozone depleting substances, viz, CFCs, Halons, Carbon tetrachloride etc. have been phased-out. This reduction of emissions of ozone depleting substances has had significant climate benefits since most ozone depleting substances are potent GHGs.

Until now, HFCs have been a major replacement for CFCs and HCFCs. HCFCs need to be phased-out under the accelerated phase-out schedule under Montreal Protocol and accordingly many countries are preparing and implementing HCFC Phase-out Management Plans. Therefore, selection of alternative technology is critical at the moment. We have prepared our HCFC Phase-out Management Plan (HPMPs) in such a manner that the alternatives are ozone friendly, climate friendly and also energy efficient and it does not need a further phase-out action.

Mr. President,

In Bangladesh, we have already started using environment friendly Hydrocarbon (HCs) in the refrigeration sector. For foam sector, we have chosen zero ODP and low GWP Cyclopentane for conversion of HCFC-141b insulation foam producing process.

Mr. President,

Bangladesh is the one of the ten countries reported to have highest respiratory diseases. About 10 million people of Bangladesh are suffering from Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD). Medical and Technical Options Committee (MTOC) recommended 24.67MT CFC against the demand of 40.35MT. Considering the essentiality of the health sector, I would like to request you and also to the MTOC committee to reconsider their recommendation.

Mr. President,

You may agree with me that most of the developing countries do not have access to the technologies and related facilities for observation & monitoring of ozone layer and ground Ultra Violet (UV) radiation. Shortage of skilled manpower further adds to the problem. Bangladesh, like many LDCs, is not the exception in this regard. I am happy to inform you that recently, our Ozone Cell has chalked out a plan to start ozone research activities for enhancing observational capacities in terms of column measurement, profile measurement and ground UV radiation measurements by utilizing the skill and the existing infrastructure of Bangladesh Meteorological Department subject to the procurement of necessary instruments for the purpose. We look forward to the financial and technical support from the UN agencies and our development partners in carrying out our ozone research activities and enhancing observational capacities.

Mr. President,

I have the pleasure to inform you that Bangladesh has developed an indigenous method of wood treatment by applying heat to meet ISMP-15 instead of Methyl Bromide. In this connection, may I request relevant authorities under the Montreal Protocol to take necessary initiatives to standardize the method and specification of the innovated Heat Treatment Procedures and to disseminate?

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

Before I conclude, I must express once again my grateful thanks to the Government and People of Indonesia for their warm and generous hospitality. I would like to convey our deep appreciation to the Ozone Secretariat for their excellent organizational efforts. I would also like to register my heartfelt thanks to all associated with this meeting for their support, cooperation and tireless efforts to make the event a success.

Thank you all once again.

Thank you Mr. President

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