On the occasion of the Ozone Day celebration, 32nd anniversary of Montreal Protocol and the 20th anniversary of cooperation in the Montreal Protocol between GIZ- Proklima and National Ozone Unit (NOU) of the Department of Environment (DoE)
on Wednesday, 18 September 2019
at the DoE Saloon, Pardisan Park, Tehran
Doctor Tajrishi, Deputy Head of the
Department of Environment
Doctor Hajizadeh,
Mr. Siegle,
Members of the Department of Environment and the National Ozone Unit,
Dear Members of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, who have travelled from Germany for this special occasion,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Federal Republic of Germany for the protection of the Ozone Layer.
The World Ozone day marks a special
occasion in the history of international climate action. 30 years ago on that date, the Montreal Protocol to the Vienna Convention on the protection of the Ozone Layer entered into force.
For over three decades, the Montreal Protocol has done much more than to help reducing
the ozone hole. It has shown us how environmental governance can respond to science in a fast and effective manner.
And it is a remarkable example of international collaboration, where all nations have come together to address a shared vulnerability.
The Protocol has been the first international treaty in the United Nation’s history that was universally ratified by all 197 UN-Member states. Among these states are, of course, also Iran and Germany, who have ratified the
treaty in 1990 and 1988 respectively. Together, we substantially contributed to reducing the emission of ozone-depleting substances.
That makes today also a remarkable symbol
of the cooperation between our two countries. Iran and Germany have built up a strong partnership in this field. So far we
successfully implemented five important projects.
And at the moment the GIZ-Proklima is active with additional three projects in Iran. So let me just name one of them:
It is called “Cool Contributions Fighting Climate Change” and seeks to promote climate-friendly solutions in the cooling and air conditioning sector. The project has already shown remarkable results by enhancing the capacity of local cooling technologies and decreasing the use of ozone-depleting substances.
All past and present projects would not have been possible without your hard work and support. And I want to wholeheartedly thank you for that! Today we celebrate your success.
However, it only takes a brief look at the headlines of the news these days to realize: Fighting for the environment is a full-time job that is never really over. Many challenges
remain.
To name just a few:
we are facing burning rainforests, devastating floods, destructive hurricanes and fast
melting glaciers.
In the area of ozone, we have to remain vigilant, to ensure our past successes will last. Only recently, we discovered a sudden rise in emissions of banned ozone gases.
But today’s challenges go far beyond the depletion of the ozone layer. First and
foremost, we need to focus on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The refrigeration and air-conditioning sector can also play an important part in this endeavor. With the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030, we already promote natural refrigerants with low global warming potential and high energy efficiency.
Further, this year, the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol entered into force. It
can avoid up to half a degree Celsius of global temperature rise by the end of the century, while continuing to protect the ozone layer. Germany has ratified the Amendment in 2017 and is beginning to implement it.
We are pleased that Iran is also working on converting to ozone and climate-friendly refrigerants. We strongly encourage you to ratify the Kigali Amendment in a timely manner.
Having said all this:
This is why Germany is a staunch supporter of the concept of multilateralism. And this is why we want to defend international rules and institutions that are coming under attack at
the moment.
It is one of the reasons the German government defends the Paris climate agreement as much as the nuclear agreement with Iran: We firmly believe that multilateral action is the only soil on which prosperity, stability and peace can grow.
Other cornerstones of this international order would be the human rights architecture, the humanitarian system and international institutions like the United Nations. In this context, Germany is making good use of its ongoing membership in the Security Council to uphold and strengthen these norms and institutions.
Let me finish by saying: We all know that the international community can be a slowly moving tanker, when it comes to finding a common course of joint action.
But as the Iranians say:
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
Let us be guided by these words and steadily continue our shared path.
Thank you for your attention.