National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Around the world — including in our country — a range of measures is being implemented to protect the ozone layer. In particular, the Vienna Convention was adopted in 1985 and the Montreal Protocol on 16 September 1987. Since then the Protocol has been amended on five occasions. Uzbekistan is currently a party to four of these amendments: the London Amendment (1990), the Copenhagen Amendment (1992), the Montreal Amendment (1997) and the Beijing Amendment (1999). Ratification of the most recent amendment — the Kigali Amendment adopted in 2016 in Rwanda — is planned.

To fulfill the requirements of these instruments, Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 17 dated 9 January 2018, “On Measures to Further Improve Regulation of Imports into the Republic of Uzbekistan of Ozone-Depleting Substances and Products Containing Them,” was adopted. Under this resolution, the import to and export from Uzbekistan of ozone-depleting substances and products containing them are subject to state regulation.

In accordance with the established procedure, 5,038 applications for the import into the country of ozone-depleting substances or products containing them have been processed; of these, 45 permits, 4,964 expert conclusions and 29 refusals were issued.

During the first six months of the current year, 2,581 applications for the importation of products containing ozone-depleting substances were processed in the established manner; 25 permits were issued, 2,550 expert conclusions were issued and 6 refusals were issued.

At present, and as part of implementing the State Programme for the execution of the “Uzbekistan — 2030” Strategy in the Year of Environmental Protection and "Green" Economy, studies are under way to assess the advisability of accession to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

For reference: the average thickness of the ozone layer is approximately 3 millimetres. Ozone molecules (O₃) are concentrated at altitudes ranging from about 10 km to 50 km above the Earth’s surface and absorb the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. The principal substances that threaten the ozone layer are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, methyl bromide and other chemical compounds. Once released into the atmosphere, these substances break down ozone molecules. Ozone depletion has profoundly negative consequences not only for humanity but for the entire environment.