PURPOSE: In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16 September as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (resolution 49/114). The aims of the World Ozone Day is to spread awareness among people about the depletion of Ozone Layer and find possible solutions to preserve it. A united global effort to phase out ozone depleting substances means that today, the hole in the ozone layer is healing, in turn protecting human health, economies and ecosystems.
FORUM: "Montreal Protocol: fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change". International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2023. The latest update from the Scientific Assessment Panel to the Montreal Protocol confirmed that ozone layer recovery is on track and ozone levels are expected to return to 1980 levels by around 2066 over the Antarctic. This year World Ozone Day is held under the theme Montreal Protocol: fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change. Today, we celebrate the achievements of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This year’s theme will highlight and reiterate the positive impact of the Montreal Protocol on ozone layer recovery and reducing climate change. Especially emphasizing the Kigali Amendment, which through the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and improved efficiency in the cooling sector, will provide additional climate mitigation benefits. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #16September, #OzoneDay, #MontrealProtocol, #HFCs, #KigaliAmendment, #Ozonelayer, #climatechange.
EVENTS: On September 16th, the UNEP Ozone Action and its partners will mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2023. On this thirty-sixth anniversary, we will remember how the Montreal Protocol ended one of the biggest threats ever to face humanity: the depletion of the ozone layer. The conclusion is clear: for nearly 4 decades, the Montreal Protocol has been instrumental – and will continue to be instrumental – in protecting human health, nature and the climate. Join us to celebrate the achievements of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change.
WEBINARS: Joins a group of speakers talk about the 'Implementation of HFC phase down as per Kigali Amendment'. Register to participate to the webinar!
STATEMENTS: Read the Statement from the United Nations Secretary-General on International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2023; September 16th and the Statement by the United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director for World Ozone Day 2023.
PODCASTS: The principal aim of the Montreal Protocol is to protect the ozone layer by taking measures to control total global production and consumption of substances that deplete it. Listen to the audio podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: The Ozone Secretariat has developed a range of communication assets including posters, commissioned logo, and multilingual materials.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED?
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
PARTNERSHIPS
Address climate change
Mobilize the public to support for the Montreal Protocol.
Help protect the ozone layer for this and future generations
As the world grows hotter and the demand for cooling rises, we need to ensure that future cooling technologies are sustainable. The Protocol and its Kigali Amendment promote the adoption of climate friendly and energy-efficient cooling technologies. This will potentially lead to additional climate and other benefits. For instance, making cold chains more sustainable and available, food loss and waste would be reduced, further decreasing carbon emissions, as well as increasing food security.
In 1987 representatives from 24 countries met in Montreal and announced to the world that it was time to stop destroying the ozone layer. In so doing, these countries committed themselves, via the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, to rid the world of substances that threaten the ozone layer.
On 19 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16 September to be the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date when the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed in 1987. The day was first celebrated on September 16, 1995.
The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Ozone Secretariat, the World Meteorological Oeganization (WMO), the UNDP Ozone Layer Protection and Chemicals Management, UNIDO Montreal Protocol: National Ozone Units, the UNIDO: Greening of Industry under the Montreal Protocol, the The World Bank, the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW): monitoring of the ozone layer, the WMO Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Project Reports. The gases are monitored by groups like the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE), a network of monitoring stations funded by NASA and environmental agencies and headed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.