August 29, 2008

Summary of 55th Meeting

At its 55th Meeting in July 2008 the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund approved US $36 million, plus support costs, for 169 projects and activities in 108 developing countries to fund the elimination of over 1,450 tonnes of substances that harm the earth’s ozone layer. This funding included almost US $16.2 million for 101 countries for the preparation of plans to address the initial targets set-out in the accelerated timetable for HCFC phase‑out agreed by Parties to the Montreal Protocol in September 2007. HCFC is a refrigerant that not only harms the ozone layer but also contributes to global warming. As the first stage of a country’s over-arching strategy to entirely eliminate HCFCc by 2030, developing countries must freeze their HCFC production and consumption in 2013 and make a 10 percent reduction by 2015. Developing countries will use the funding provided to develop specific plans to meet these initial targets.

Iraq, a new Party to the Montreal Protocol in 2008, received US $100,000 to prepare its national plan for phasing out CFC and other ozone depleting substances. Eight other countries received a total of $812,989 funding for institutional strengthening activities. US $4.6 million, plus support costs, was agreed in principle for nine countries (Benin, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chile Guinea, Honduras, Peru, Uganda, Yemen) to fund their plans to phase-out the use of CFCs in their refrigeration servicing sectors by 2010.

More information can be found in the summary of the 55th Meeting. For full details and the text of decisions made at the meeting, please refer to the Report of the Fifty-fifth Meeting of the Executive Committee.