HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie affirmed that Qatar is taking the necessary measures, with clear steps to achieve harmony between national development and international approaches to protect the ozone layer.
He pointed out the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) praise for Qatar's establishment of a remote training course related to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (the Montreal Protocol) was the first of its kind during the current Covid-19 pandemic.
In a speech on the occasion of International Ozone Day (celebrated on Sept16), which is held this year under the title 'Ozone For Life', the minister said that 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, he noted.
HE al-Subaie 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 protocol 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 side of the sun's rays.
HE the Minister pointed out that the ministry relies on the awareness of the various sectors in the State about the importance of their big role and contribution to protecting the ozone layer by adopting environmentally friendly alternatives and technologies that will not harm the ozone layer, 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 Ministry of Municipality and Environment, represented by the Department of Radiation and Chemicals Protection (Ozone Unit Team), participated Wednesday in the celebration of the International Ozone Day, in co-operation with the UNEP's West Asia Office.
The celebration was held remotely in the presence of a number of officials in the ministry, experts in neighbouring countries, a number of trainers who passed the trainers' course at Qatar University and representatives of companies working in the field of refrigeration and air conditioning, who were introduced to the most important measures of awareness on preserving the ozone layer, in addition to reviewing the most important achievements of the ministry in the agreement.
This year marks 35 years since the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, as Qatar is committed to implementing the 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.