Bahrain : Personal Representative of His Majesty the King, President of the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE), His Highness Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has announced the Kingdom of Bahrain’s winning of the presidency of the Executive Committee of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer for the year 2022.
The achievement is considered the first of its kind at the Gulf level since ratification of the protocol in 1987.
HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa praised the royal directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for active participation of the Kingdom of Bahrain within international organisations and agencies.
He also lauded the kingdom’s keenness on cooperation in the environmental field and fighting climate change and its repercussions.
His Highness stressed the pivotal role of the Executive Committee of the Montreal Protocol in supporting the international efforts to protect the environment.
He said the committee is concerned with mapping out policies and taking financial decisions for the multilateral fund which has contributed for more than three decades with $ 4.25 billion to help 145 states to comply with the requirements of the Montreal Protocol and protect the ozone layer.
His Highness affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has implemented 38 projects through the Multilateral Fund, worth $3.84 million, to help the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors to switch to non-ozone-depleting alternatives.
A similar amount is expected to be spent during the coming years when implementing projects related to the gradual reduction of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
His Highness expressed aspiration that the period during which the Kingdom of Bahrain will assume the presidency of the Executive Committee will be full of achievements and witness the discussion of projects related to the GCC countries as well as brotherly and friendly ones.
He noted the aim is to develop strategic plans for the second phase of projects to gradually dispose of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) that deplete the ozone layer.
He pointed out the importance of linking those projects with alternative technologies suitable for countries, especially countries with a hot ocean climate.
HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa thanked all countries that supported the Kingdom of Bahrain and expressed confidence in its presidency of the Executive Committee.
