21 July 2014: Delegates at the 34th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG 34) of the parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer considered: a progress report of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP); organizational issues related to the TEAP; the report of the TEAP on 2015-2017 Multilateral Fund (MLF) replenishment; nominations for essential-use exemptions and critical-use exemptions; alternatives to ozone depleting substances (ODS); the outcomes of the workshop on hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) management; and a proposal for extending an exemption for laboratory and analytical uses.

OEWG 34 also considered two proposals to amend the Montreal Protocol in relation to HFCs: the first by the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Morocco; and the second by the US, Canada and Mexico.

During the meeting, delegates mostly focused their discussions on: the amendment proposals, where clear divisions among parties resulted in little progress; the 2015-2017 MLF replenishment, where agreement was reached indicating that guidance for additional analysis on the MLF replenishment could be forwarded to the TEAP, with the final report to be considered at the 26th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP 26) in November; and the outcomes of the HFC management workshop held immediately before the meeting.

OEWG 34 convened in Paris, France, from 14-18 July, with attendance of over 350 delegates representing governments, UN agencies, Montreal Protocol expert panels and committees, NGOs and industry. [IISD RS Coverage of OEWG 34] [OEWG 34 Website]