Transcript Presentation by Dr. Archalus Tcheknavorian-Asenbauer

OzonAction Special Webinar:
End of Year Reflections on the
Montreal Protocol at 25 Years
19 December 2012
Dr. Archalus Tcheknavorian-Asenbauer
Former Managing Director for Industrial Sectors
and Environment including Climate Change and
Montreal Protocol, UNIDO
The Multilateral Fund
• 1990, London - The Montreal Protocol was amended
to accommodate the needs of DCs for technical
assistance for phasing out ODSs.
• A financial mechanism was established in the
spirit of “COMMON BUT DIFFERENTIATED
RESPONSIBILITIES” for addressing single
environmental issues.
• The Chief Officer, Mr. Omar El Arini was appointed
to manage the MLF and to establish all required
prerequisites for its smooth operation in
accordance with the convention’s vision and
target.
• UN organizations such as UNEP and UNDP as well as
the World Bank, were designated as Implementing
Agencies of the MLF.
• The composition, procedures and guidelines of the
Executive Committee of the MLF were also novel and
greatly assisted the implementation of the
Protocol.
UNIDO and My First Experience with
the MLF
• As the Managing Director of the department of
Industrial Sectors and the Environment including
Climate Change of UNIDO (with 150 staff of which
more than half were highly industrial experts from
different industrial sectors, such as chemical,
metallurgy, engineering and agro-industries, as
well as environmental experts), I visited
Montreal in February 1992 on bilateral issues.
• By pure coincidence I came across to know during a
meeting with Canadian authorities, that the
Montreal Protocol Board Session was underway. I
expressed my desire to attend and the Chief
Officer of the MLF generously approved my
attendance as observer, and provided me with the
possibility of a short presentation on UNIDO
industrial experience in developing countries.
• With that short appearance and presentation the
Chief Officer found out that UNIDO could be an
additional technical support for the successful
implementation of the MP, and he facilitated the
development by inviting UNIDO to the next
My Second Experience with the
MLF
• In the very beginning UNIDO was foreseen
to dedicate itself to small scale
industries since both UNDP and the WB
were already targeting large
manufacturing enterprises.
• In that respect US $ 50,000 were
allocated to UNIDO to start preparing
projects for SMEs.
• But very soon it was recognized that the
technical potential of UNIDO could make
the difference, as the focus of the
program was mostly performing changes in
technology and operations of different
industrial sectors in developing
countries.
The Business Share of the
Implementing Agencies
• UNIDO developed a large pipeline based on requests
from many developing countries that could not be
ignored. Therefore the ExCom requested Agencies to
agree on business shares.
• A meeting took place at breakfast in a hotel where
the WB team was staying. I exposed our programme
and also our pipeline.
• Even though nobody was expecting any of the other
Agencies to give up part of their business I was
able to convince our sister Agencies, WB and UNDP,
to make a significant gesture and the negotiations
ended up by an agreement , that WB and UNDP
reduced in favor of UNIDO their shares, which
resulted to a new
business shares between the
implementing Agencies , giving UNIDO an
unprecedented share of 25%.
• UNIDO in response, soon contributed with the
introduction of innovative technologies, as well
as with a plan to reduce the operation costs,
especially in the refrigeration sector by
shortening the period of transfer technology and
trial from 4 years to 6 months, which created
economic advantages for the MLF to support and
UNIDO Evolution
• For the last twenty years UNIDO has
greatly developed its portfolio covering
all sectors as well more than 80 DCs. In
addition to its innovative approaches,
technology promotion, expertise etc.
UNIDO is today recognized as a major
Implementing Agency successfully
contributing to protecting the Ozone
Layer as well as bringing significant
climate benefit.
Approvals in 1993
• Foam Sector, UNIDO’s approval amounted to
$ 1,089,000.
• Refrigeration Sector, UNIDO’s approval
amounted to
$ 4,828,900.
1994 - 1996
• 1994 – UNIDO had included in its
activities the following substances:
Aerosols, Halon, and Solvents.
• 1996 – UNIDO further increased its
portfolio by adding in the following
substances: Methyl Bromide Sector,
Demonstration projects and later Phase-out
Plans.
Facts & Figures
• Number of projects: over 1400
• Number of countries assisted: 101
(including 29 least developed countries)
• Cumulative approvals in US $ more than
700 millions
• Ozone impact: substances with more than
70,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting
potential phased out
• Climate impact: over 400.000.000 tonnes
of carbon dioxide equivalent avoided
(CLIMATE BENEFIT)
• Growing trend of UNIDO’s share of the
portfolio of the Multilateral Fund for
the Implementation of the Montreal
Protocol: more than 43 per cent by 2012
UNIDO’s Montreal Protocol
Projects
Investment Projects
• Conversions of manufacturing facilities for a direct
phase-out of ozone depleting substances (ODS);
• Ozone-depleting substances phase-out
Management Plans;
• Elimination of methyl bromide in soil fumigation
and treatment of commodities;
• Destruction of ozone-depleting substances;
• Carbon financing.
Working the fridge line and with CFC free
thermal insulation in China
Non-investment Projects
• Trainings/workshops for customs officers;
• Training for service technicians;
• Institutional Strengthening/Capacity building;
• Awareness raising activities;
• Legislation/Policies.
Workshop for customs officer in Croatia
Lessons Learned
• The MP convention, its adoption and the
role of the MLF facilitating the
implementation of the convention, with
full integrity, and to make the best use
of funds provided by industrialized
countries, in a very transparent and
accountable manner, the negotiations to
clear the projects for implementation are
unique and very professional.
• Accordingly, the MP and ODS phase-out
under the convention has provided a unique
experience, how developing and developed
countries could advance the issues, to
solve the negative impact created by
humanity, to work together to eliminate,
or at least reduce its vulnerability.
The Key to Success
• I believe the key success is a balanced membership
of the Executive Committee, fully aware of new
developments and open for new ideas, or needs to be
considered to improve the development of the
convention and its impact to the environment and
finally humanity as a whole.
• Another key success was surely the personality of
the Chief Officer who shaped the Secretariat of the
Multilateral Fund to attend the needs of the ExCom
as well as providing a unique tool for policy
development, technical oversight, evaluation
purposes as well as the managers of the MP
programmes and their teams in Implementing
Agencies.
• The choice of the Implementing Agencies was very
well balanced, complimentary to each other with the
aim to contribute to the achievement of the aim of
the Protocol.
• After 22 years of MLF operations 90 % of ODS have
been phased-out at cost of 2,2 billion US Dollars,
and the latest scientific findings suggesting a
recovery of the ozone hole in the 2070 is a
Montreal Protocol – An Example
to Follow
• However, the sad part of it, is having served for
the last 5 years as senior adviser on climate
change for UNDP / Barbados, and having
participated in the last five COPs starting from
COP 14 in Bali. I came to the conclusion,
unfortunately, that the same participating
governments, for reducing the negative impact of
greenhouse gases instead of taking lessons from
the Montreal Protocol are having endless and
rather unfruitful negotiations.
• To my view time has come to introduce an
innovative process, like MP convention , to
advance the issue of climate change, which has and
is going to impact to all parties, their social
economy and environment specially regrettably the
SIDS .
• Furthermore, I have been seeing, that in the COPs
the role of the MP for the reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions is not very much highlighted, nor
fully recognized, which is sad, because through
the implementation of the projects for phasing out
Thank you for your attention!