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Highlights
for Friday, 19 October
On
the last day of MOP-13, delegates heard high-level statements,
and adopted decisions, the report of the meeting and the
Colombo Declaration.
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From left to right:
John Mate, Greenpeace International; and the EIA Ozone
Team: Ezra Clark, Debbie Banks and Julian Newman.
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Greenpeace International stated that ozone depletion and
global climate disruption pose a greater threat to humanity
than any human conflict, short of nuclear holocaust, and encouraged
all Parties to keep a long-term outlook. He lamented the business-as-usual
administrative attitude at MOPs and the lack of new and dynamic
initiatives. He suggested that MOPs should be held every 18
months instead of annually, and that the savings of could
be used for implementation. |
The
Environmental Investigation Agency said that illegal trade
in ODS has not been adequately addressed at the international
level, and that decisions taken by the Parties continue to
be undermined by profit-seeking criminals. He called for systematic
and coordinated information exchange between enforcement agencies,
and urged cooperation with other MEAs, especially with CITES
and the Rotterdam, Basel and Stockholm Conventions. |
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Above:
Members of the EU in a huddle just outside the Plenary Hall,
discussing the Colombo Declaration.
The Colombo Declaration recognizes links between environmental
issues such as climate change and
ozone layer depletion and, inter alia: urges governments
and all stakeholders to apply due care in using new
substances that may have ODP; declares that much work remains
to be done to ensure ozone protection;
and decides to share the Montreal Protocol's successful experience
at WSSD. |
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| Kiribati
introduced an oral declaration on behalf of Fiji, Niue, Papua
New Guinea and Samoa, which commits these countries to, inter
alia: ratify the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments; urgently
adopt ODS trade controls; take all necessary measures to comply
with ODS controls; and fulfill reporting obligations. The
Declaration also calls on Parties to consider the unique circumstances
of Pacific Island countries when deciding on the 2003-2005
Multilateral Fund replenishment. Parties agreed to reflect
the Declaration in the report of the MOP. |
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MOP-13
Vice-President Gunewardana thanked delegates, UNEP and
the Secretariat for hard work and diligence, and hoped delegates
would take pleasant memories of Sri Lanka home with them.
He called on all delegates to work to bring about a peaceful
world and a better environment. Deputy Executive Secretary
Graber thanked delegates, the conference staff and interpreters
for making MOP-13 a success. The meeting was gaveled to
a close at 6:15 pm.
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| Miscellaneous
images... |
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| The
flag of the UN and several dozen Sri Lankan flags lining the
entrance to the conference centre. When looking at the
larger version of this image, note the giant Buddha across
the street. |
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Above: Envelope bearing the new stamp issued by the
Sri Lankan Postal Service to commemorate MOP-13. The stamp
was officially unveiled at the conclusion of the opening ceremony
of the high-level segment. |
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| Above:
UNEP-DTIE's Sri
Lankan-inspired stand displaying recently published materials. |
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The
ENB MOP-13 team, from left to right: Andrei Henry (Canada),
Kira Schmidt (US), Joanna Depledge (UK), and Laura Ivers (US). |
Basic
Player
ENB's
coverage of MOP-12