Qatar seeks to achieve harmony between national development and ozone layer protection: Subaie

QATAR is taking the necessary measures, with clear steps, to achieve harmony between national development and international approaches to protect the ozone layer, Minister of Municipality and Environment HE Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie has said.

The minister pointed out that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has praised Qatar for establishing a remote training course related to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (the Montreal Protocol), which was the first of its kind during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Qatar believes in the importance of the international community’s participation in the efforts aimed at preserving the environment in general and protecting the ozone layer in particular. Qatar is a member of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol and its amendments, which enables Qatar to benefit from the technical and knowledge tools that would ensure that the country keeps pace with developments in this field,” the minister said in a speech on the occasion of the International Ozone Day, which is marked on September 16 and is held this year under the title ‘Ozone For Life’.

He added that the efforts of the international community were embodied by the establishment of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the subsequent protocols under its umbrella, such as the Montreal Protocol, where the ultimate goal was to protect health systems and ecosystems by preserving the ozone layer, which in turn protects the Earth from the harmful effects of sunrays.

Subaie pointed out that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) relies on the awareness of various sectors in the State about the importance of their big role in protecting the ozone layer by adopting environmentally friendly technologies, in addition to implementing national and regional legislation in this field. Qatar is an integral part of the international system, and any efforts undertaken at the national level would constitute a milestone in the system of international efforts aimed at protecting the ozone layer, he added.

In the same context, the MME, represented by the Department of Radiation and Chemicals Protection (Ozone Unit Team), participated on Wednesday in the celebration of the International Ozone Day, in cooperation with the UNEP’s West Asia Office.

The celebration was held remotely in the presence of a number of officials of the MME, experts in neighbouring countries, a number of trainers and representatives of companies working in the field of refrigerating and air conditioning, who were introduced to the important measures to preserve the ozone layer, with reviewing the most important achievements of the ministry with regard to the agreement.

This year marks 35 years since the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. Qatar is committed to implementing the 1985 Vienna Convention and the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.