Doha, September 11 (QNA) - The State of Qatar joins the international community in celebrating the International Day for Preservation of Ozone Layer, marked annually on September 16. The occasion highlights Qatar's growing commitment to protecting the environment, preserving its resources, addressing the impacts of climate change, and promoting environmental sustainability through carefully designed scientific strategies and plans.

Under the wise leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar attaches great importance and unwavering commitment to safeguarding the environment and its natural resources, while contributing to sustainable development. This includes implementing the necessary measures to protect the ozone layer from depletion. In this regard, Qatar achieved notable progress in sustainability and emissions reduction, earning recognition from the UN Environment Programme and other international organizations.

Qatar is an active party to Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its amendments - both international treaties that regulate the production of ozone-depleting substances.

Through its membership in these agreements, the State, represented by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, works on implementing plans for the gradual phase-out of ozone-depleting substances such as Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), under strict monitoring mechanisms in cooperation with international bodies and relevant national sectors. The Ministry also organizes community awareness events, student competitions in collaboration with international organizations and universities, and honors outstanding participants as part of broader efforts to raise public awareness of ozone preservation.

As part of its national efforts, the Ministry also hosts experts from international organizations such as United Nations Industrial Development Organization to review progress on HCFC phase-out strategies. These efforts reflect Qatar’s commitment as a party to the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol, while strengthening cooperation with specialized international organizations and supporting global efforts to protect the ozone layer and safeguard the planet from climate change.

In parallel, Qatar takes clear steps to harmonize national development with international commitments on ozone protection. The Ministry intensified monitoring of the trade in ozone-depleting substances, particularly in the refrigeration and air-conditioning sectors, and coordinates with importing companies to ensure compliance with global environmental standards.

Qatar’s National Strategy for Ozone-Depleting Substances Management, launched in 2012, focuses on establishing mechanisms to help industries transition to technologically and economically viable alternatives, while reducing emissions and promoting modern, low–global-warming technologies in key service sectors.

The Ministry consistently emphasizes the awareness of national sectors on importance of adopting eco-friendly alternatives and technologies that do not harm the ozone layer, alongside the enforcement of relevant national and regional legislation. These efforts reflect Qatar’s recognition that it is an integral part of the global system, and that every national measure taken contributes meaningfully to international endeavors for ozone preservation.

In this context, Director of the Department of Chemicals and Hazardous Waste at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Mohammed Aayed Al Shammari, affirmed in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) Qatar's firm commitment to international efforts to protect the ozone layer as a party to the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol. He noted that this year’s theme for the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is: “From Science to Global Action.”

Dr. Al Shammari stressed that Qatar's celebration of this day is an important occasion to renew its national commitment to environmental protection, raise awareness about ozone preservation, and highlight the achievements made in this field. He underlined Qatar’s keenness to play an active role in safeguarding the global climate and ensuring sustainability of natural resources for future generations. He also described the occasion as an opportunity to strengthen collective action on one of the most complex environmental challenges, foster international cooperation, and intensify public awareness of ozone preservation and the need to reduce ozone-depleting substances.

He further urged institutions and individuals alike to continue adopting sound environmental practices to ensure a clean, safe, and healthy environment for all. He noted that the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change will organize a series of awareness activities as part of Ozone Week 2025.  

Qatar's environmental achievements are reflected in numerous major projects and measures, in addition to its joint environmental and climate action with regional and international partners. These efforts align with the goals and vision of national plans and strategies launched by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, including the Qatar National Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the National Climate Change Action Plan 2030. Both have laid out a clear roadmap for fulfilling Qatar’s commitments to mitigate the effects of climate change, alongside the valuable support provided by Qatar to developing countries and international organizations in addressing this global challenge.

The National Climate Change Action Plan represents a major step forward domestically in addressing climate change. It includes more than 35 emission-reduction initiatives and over 300 adaptation initiatives, aiming to cut emissions and greenhouse gases by 25 percent across all sectors by 2030.

In a statement to QNA, Director of the Department of Chemicals and Hazardous Waste at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Dr. Mohammed Aayed Al Shammari explained that the celebration of International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, along with its accompanying activities, forms part of the Ministry's ongoing awareness efforts. These include launch of the “Children's Creativity for Ozone Protection” competition to raise environmental awareness through art and creative drawings; organizing a public event in a major shopping mall with interactive activities and visual displays to spread environmental messages; and holding school visits to deliver awareness lectures to students on the importance of the ozone layer and individual roles in protecting it.

He noted that Qatar, represented by the Ministry, is implementing a series of national activities and programs aimed at the gradual phase-out of ozone-depleting substances, foremost among them the HCFC Phase-Out Management Plan, which targets the complete elimination of these substances by 2030. This is being achieved through training programs and workshops for personnel of relevant entities to familiarize them with controlled substances and monitoring mechanisms, enhancing their capacity to adopt safe alternatives, developing an electronic monitoring system for ozone-depleting substances to facilitate licensing and oversight, conducting regular inspection campaigns on companies and facilities to ensure compliance with environmental regulations, and holding periodic meetings with stakeholders to enhance cooperation and share knowledge. Qatar also actively participates in regional and international meetings related to ozone protection, reflecting the State's keenness to remain aligned with global developments in this field.

The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer represents a significant opportunity to unify efforts to address this vital issue, considered one of the most complex environmental challenges, and one that requires international solidarity. The day also reaffirms the UN’s support for ozone protection through the Vienna Convention, signed in March 1985 by 28 countries and entering into force in September 1988, which laid the framework for international cooperation on ozone protection, as well as the Montreal Protocol signed in September 1987 and enforced from January 1989, which aims to phase out the production of substances believed to cause ozone depletion.

On such occasions, the United Nations emphasizes that international cooperation and binding treaties - such as the Montreal Protocol-prove that meaningful change is possible when countries demonstrate political will for the public good. By uniting the world in phasing out the consumption and production of ozone-depleting substances, the Protocol safeguarded human health and prevented economic losses, allowing the once-depleted ozone layer to move towards recovery.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), meanwhile, underscores the need to continue efforts to protect the ozone layer and preserve life on Earth for future generations, drawing inspiration from the success of the Montreal Protocol to confront other urgent environmental challenges, including biodiversity loss and plastic pollution, through multilateral cooperation and global unity.

UNEP also highlights that ozone treaties embody the principle of moving “from science to global action.” The Montreal Protocol and the Vienna Convention remain key instruments for monitoring ozone levels, ultraviolet radiation, and ozone-depleting substances, as well as other chemicals such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—a class of greenhouse gases being phased down under the Kigali Amendment.

The 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, held in Kigali, Rwanda, in October 2016, member states reached an agreement to gradually reduce HFCs, which also deplete the ozone layer. (QNA)