REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI

Statement by

Honorable Minister Mr. Tiarite George Kwong

Minister of Environment, Lands and Agriculture Development

of the Republic of Kiribati

High Level Segment,

24th Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

15-16th November, 2012

Mr. President,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen

I bring warm greetings to you from the President, people and Government of the Republic of Kiribati on whose behalf I am privileged to address the High Level Segment of the 24th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

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"KAM NA BANE N MAURI"

Through you Mr. President, I wish to thank the people and Government of Switzerland for hosting this Conference and to thank also the Ozone Secretariat for the kind invitation that has been extended to my country

Please allow me to join other delegates tocongratulate the Secretariat for the 25th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol and for being an example of exceptional international co-operation and one of the most successful MEAs.

I am honored to inform the conference that attending the Meeting of the Parties is seen by the Government of Kiribati as an important commitment to share our views on how the Montreal Protocol should operate meaningfully in serving its Parties.At the sametime also to share our aspirations as a country needing assistance and partnership from interested organizations to fulfill our obligations under this global environment agreement

As Ministersresponsible for the environment, we are entrusted with an important responsibility to protect the human health and environment from ozone depleting substances. The issues we discussed in this meeting remind us once again of the enormous challengesahead of us in our effortsto achieve the objectives of the Montreal Protocol. As a member Party, Kiribati is committed in joining a global action to combat this global environmental problem.

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Kiribati is a small island developing state and like other SIDS, we are faced with a multitude of environmental challenges including on ODS. SIDS have unique circumstances and limited capacity, which make it very difficult to cope with these challenges. However, my Government is grateful for the resources that are continued to be provided through the Multilateral Fund which have been instrumental in supporting the activities of the National Ozone Unit and raising the awareness on ODS.

Mr. President, I am pleased to inform the Secretariat that Cabinet has recently approved and endorsed the Ozone Layer Protection Regulation under the Environment Act. The Regulation is an important commitment byKiribati in its effort to fulfill its obligations under the Convention. Furthermore, the Government also is including ODS national priorities identified by relevant national stakeholders in the Kiribati Integrated Environment Policy 2012 – 2015. These are some of the national achievements which demonstrate Kiribati's seriousness on this important global issue.

However, despite these achievements, Kiribati continues to face critical issues in implementing its obligations under the Protocol. These include;

  1. ODS consumption of flagged ships which has potential implications on Kiribatireporting obligation on itsconsumption and HPMP implementation;
  2. available alternatives to methyl bromide that are effective and affordable for quarantine and pre-shipment treatment purposes and;
  3. a general lack of awareness and capacity across the various stakeholdersincluding technicians andthe Customs and other enforcement officers in detecting and regulating the imported ODS

Mr.President,Kiribati recognizes the opportunities presented to the conference to strengthen our global effort tomeeting the objectives of the Montreal Protocol. In this regard,my delegation would like to express our full support for the submission by the Federated States of Micronesia to control HFCswithin the context of the Montreal Protocol. Kiribati would like to commend and thankthe Multilateral Fund for the financial assistance provided to Article 5 Parties toassist them in meeting their obligations and therefore, I would like to call the Parties for the strengthening of the Multilateral Fund. Kiribati would like also to acknowledge with appreciation the assistance of the Secretariat in facilitating the technical support on capacity building including in-country trainings for the technicians and national ozone enforcement agencies.

To conclude my remarks Mr. President, Kiribati is committed to play its part and stands ready to working in partnership with you, the Secretariat and the Parties in our efforts to achieve the objectives of the Protocol soboth human health and the environment are protected from adverse impacts of the ozone depleting substances. I wish everyone a fruitful and successful deliberation

I thank you all for your kind attention