UN SECRETARY-GENERAL -- MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE OZONE LAYER

"There are few global agreements as successful as the Vienna Convention for
the Protection of the Ozone Layer. Today, on World Ozone Day, we celebrate 35
years of this convention, which was the first step in fixing the hole in the planet's
ozone layer.
Gases used in aerosols and cooling appliances were causing this hole. Under
the convention's Montreal Protocol, governments, scientists and industry
cooperated and have so far replaced 99 per cent of these gases. The ozone layer is
now healing, safeguarding human and ecosystem health.
But the work of the Montreal Protocol is not over. Through the Protocol's
Kigali Amendment, the international community is finding alternatives for
coolants that contribute to the growing menace of climate disruption. If fully
implemented, the Kigali Amendment can prevent 0.4 degrees Celsius of global
warming. I congratulate the 100 Parties that have been leading by example.
As we look ahead to global recovery from the social and economic
devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we must commit to building
stronger and more resilient societies. It is imperative that we put our efforts and
investments into tackling climate change and protecting nature and the ecosystems
that sustain us.
The ozone treaties stand out as inspiring examples that show that, where
political will prevails, there is little limit to what we can achieve in common cause.
Let us take encouragement from how we have worked together to preserve the
ozone layer and apply the same will to healing the planet and forging a brighter

and more equitable future for all humanity. "

-António Guterres