The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced an important new effort to protect the climate and the ozone layer by accelerating the efforts by military organisations to halt their use of ozone depleting substances (ODS), reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and seek increased energy efficiency.  This new initiative will begin with a workshop to be held in Brussels, Belgium from 6-8 February 2001: “The Importance of the Military Organisations in Stratospheric Ozone Protection and Climate Protection.” 

The workshop is co-organised by the United Nations Environment Programme, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Department of Defense.  It is also being supported by the Australia Department of Defence; the Center for International Environmental Law; the Climate Institute; the Department of National Defence Canada; Environment Australia; Environment Canada; the Institute for Defense Analyses; the International Cooperative for Environmental Leadership; the U.K. Ministry of Defence; and the U.K. Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions.

The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol is financially supporting the ozone component of the workshop.  Co-sponsors are supporting the workshop through in-kind contributions in the form of expert presenters, organisational support, or financial assistance

Over 100 military and environmental experts, industry representatives and NGOs from more than 25 countries will participate in plenary sessions, technical seminars, and roundtable discussions.  The workshop will update military authorities on the national security importance of the phase out of ODS and protection of the climate, promote increased military commitment to ODS phase out, and build co-operation of military environmental protection programmes. It is anticipated that the meeting will issue an influential report outlining specific actions that will be taken to better protect the climate and ozone layer.

A major focus of the workshop will be to increase the awareness and commitment of military officials from developing countries to address the ozone depletion issue. Under the Montreal Protocol, 175 countries have committed to a precise schedule for reducing and eventually phasing out their consumption and production of ODS. The first major milestone for developing countries (Article 5 countries) was the "freeze" of CFCs that came into effect in July 1999. Now those countries, including their militaries, must reduce CFCs by 50% by 2005, 85% by 2007 and completely phase them out by 2010.  Similar control measures exist for other ODS important to the military, including halons. This workshop will help developing countries meet this compliance challenge through information exchange, experience-sharing, and networking with military and environmental officials of other countries.

For more information:

Mr. Rajendra Shende, Chief UNEP DTIE Energy and OzonAction Unit, Tour Mirabeau, 39-43 quai Andre Citroen, Paris 75739 Cedex 15, France or Tel: +331 44.37.14.50, Fax: +33144.37.14.74, email: ozonaction@unep.fr, www.uneptie.org/ozonaction.html

Dr. Stephen O. Andersen, Co-Chair, UNEP Montreal Protocol Technology and Economic Assessment Panel, Room 4203, 501 3^rd Street N.W. Washington, DC 20001 USA or Tel: +1202.564.9069, email: andersen.stephen@epa.gov.


Journalists interested in participating in this event or receiving the proceedings should contact Mr. Jim Curlin at jcurlin@unep.fr or via the UNEP DTIE contacts above.

A copy of the Agenda is available in PDF format (which you can view with Adobe's Acrobat Reader).

Additional details about the workshop are available at www.uneptie.org/ozat/military/home.htm