Delegates to the 48th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG 48) of the Montreal Protocol advanced work on financing, technology, monitoring, and institutional arrangements needed to support continued implementation of the Protocol and the Kigali Amendment.

A central focus was the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel’s (TEAP) initial assessment of funding requirements for the 2027–2029 replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (MLF). Parties agreed on additional guidance for TEAP’s supplementary report, which will inform negotiations on the replenishment amount at the 38th Meeting of the Parties (MOP 38), scheduled to take place in November 2026.

OEWG 48 also considered, inter alia:

  • the continued use of halon 1301 in civil aviation and the transition to alternatives;
  • metered-dose inhalers using low-global-warming-potential propellants;
  • options for reorganizing TEAP and its Technical Options Committees;
  • enhanced regional atmospheric monitoring of controlled substances, including possible pilot monitoring sites;
  • strengthening institutions, licensing systems, and efforts to address illegal trade;
  • the viability of Protocol operations, including the timing, length, and organization of meetings; and
  • participation of Central Asian States in the Eastern European Group.

Delegates approved an annex to the OEWG 48 meeting report containing additional requests for TEAP’s Replenishment Task Force, including further work on costing scenarios and methodology and consideration of the needs of low- and very-low-volume-consuming countries.

At MOP 38, Parties are expected to decide on the level of the 2027–2029 MLF replenishment, continue discussions on enhanced atmospheric monitoring, and return to institutional issues including the participation of Central Asian States in the Eastern European Group and the viability of Protocol operations. The meeting will mark the tenth anniversary of the Kigali Amendment, underscoring the Protocol’s dual role in protecting the ozone layer and contributing to climate mitigation. [ENB summary report from OEWG 48]