16 September 2008: International Day for the Preservation of
the Ozone Layer was celebrated on 16 September 2008, with the theme “Montreal
Protocol – Global partnership for global benefits.” In the UN Secretary-General’s message
recognizing the day, Ban Ki-moon emphasized that the success of the Protocol
demonstrates that environmental protection can be sustained through economic
downturns, and encouraged governments to look for synergies among multilateral
environmental agreements as the Parties to the Protocol did when deciding to
accelerate the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons.

The Secretary-General
said that the goal for the climate change talks in Copenhagen in 2009 “must be
a decisive new agreement that sets the world on track to stabilize greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere, and that provides the funding needed for
vulnerable countries to adapt to the impact of climate change.”
He added that
“Such an agreement would not only represent progress on one of the greatest
challenges of our time, but is also likely to help tackle urban air pollution,
deforestation, the loss of biodiversity and other dangers.” [Secretary-General’s
Message on International Ozone Day]