NIGERIA’S STATEMENT AT THE HIGH LEVEL SEGMENT OF THE 3RD EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON SUBSTANCES THAT DEPLETE THE OZONE LAYER;

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

BY

MR. IBRAHIM USMAN JIBRIL

HONORABLE MINISTER OF STATE,

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND HEAD OF NIGERIAN DELEGATION

22RD JULY, 2016.

NIGERIA’S STATEMENT DELIVERED

AT THE HIGH LEVEL SEGMENT OF THE 3RD ExMOP MEETING OF PARTIES TO MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON SUBSTANCES THAT DEPLETE THE OZONE LAYER; VIENNA, AUSTRIA; 22ND – 23RD JULY 2016.

Mr. President,

On behalf of the Government and the good people of Nigeria, I wish to congratulate you and your team on your election to run the affairs of this 3rd Extraordinary Meeting of the Parties (ExMOP3) to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. I commend the efforts of the President of the Bureau and the Ozone Secretariat for their able leadership and guidance during the past year.

I wish to appreciate the government of Austria for the successful hosting of this meeting and the hospitality extended to us since our arrival in this historic city of Vienna. May I also thank the secretariat for a successful arrangement of this high level meeting.

Mr. President,

As we all are aware, the Vienna Convention and its Montreal Protocol through collaborative and consensus–based decisions by Parties have in the past years achieved great success in the phase out of major Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) with high Ozone Depleting Potencial (ODP), thus protecting the Ozone Layer for present and future generations, as well as contributing significantly to global efforts to address Climate Change.

In the same spirit, the Montreal Protocol once again demonstrated a genuine unity of purpose, true global partnership, spirit of participation, commitment and determination to save humankind, when Parties agreed in Dubai in 2015,to the Dubai Pathway for the possible phase down and management of HFCs under the purview of the Montreal Protocol. As agreed, the pathway is to first resolve identified challenges and generate appropriate solutions to the challenges which include funding issues, technical issues, technology transfer, Intellectual Property Rights and sound conversions amongst others. Then the proposed amendments will be considered with a view to producing a draft amendment that will be agreeable to all Parties, for adoption later in 2016, in Kigali.

In spite of what looked like a slow start in Geneva earlier in April this year, my delegation is encouraged with the progress that parties have made over the past few days, in achieving a major milestone of consensus on solutions to the issues identified as challenges to HFC phase down under the Montreal Protocol. The next step of negotiations on the amendment proposals will no doubt pose another round of challenges. However, we are hopeful that an HFC amendment can be achieved this year and which will spur Parties to build on the current momentum in a transparent manner while discussing the amenndment proposals.

Mr. President,

Nigeria has continued to make good progress in the phase-out of HCFCs as we continue implementation of our stage 1 Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Phase out Management Plan (HPMP), for which we are on the 5th Tranche. UNDP is the Lead Implementing Agency and UNIDO, the Cooperating Agency.

As previously mentioned, the pilot hydrocarbon production plant which is a major component under the HPMP has been completed and commissioned under the HPMP stage 1 activites. Our efforts to achieve the required training / certification of RAC technicians on safe handling of flammable refrigerants and market penetration for the produced HC refrigerants products will be pursued under the HPMP stage II, schedulled to commence in 2017. We are also continuing our collaboration with relevant regulatory agencies to strengthen our monitoring activities and the application of our quota and liscencing systems to ensure our continued compliance with the HPMP control measures.

Mr. President

In conclusion, I will like to re-iterate Nigeria’s commitment to her obligations under the MP. Amongst others, the amendment of the Montreal Protocol is the most topical challenge. We hope that a consensus outcome on all outstanding issues relating to the amendment will be achieved to ensure the amendment of the Protocol in Kigali, later this year.

I thank you Mr. President.

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