DUSHANBE, September 29, 2014, Asia-Plus – A three-day regional meeting to discuss issues related to hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) phase-out will kick off in Dushanbe tomorrow, September 30.

Organized in the framework of the project for accelerated phase-out of HCFC in countries with economies in transition, the meeting is expected to bright together specialists from Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan Moldova, and Turkmenistan.

According to the UNDP Country Office, the main objective of the meeting is in discussing issues related to furthering development of the countries’ potential to achieve the goals of the Montreal Protocol.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.  The treaty was opened for signature on September 16, 1987, and entered into force on January 1, 1989, followed by a first meeting in Helsinki, May 1989. Since then, it has undergone eight revisions, in 1990 (London), 1991 (Nairobi), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1993 (Bangkok), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), 1999 (Beijing) and 2007 (Montreal).

UNDP launched the project for accelerated phase-out of HCFC in countries with economies in transition in 2013 under financial support of the Global Environment Fund (GEF).