UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Monday the agreement reached by the signatories of the Montreal Protocol to sign up to an accelerated freeze and phase-out of hydrochlorflurocarbons (HCFCs), the chemical compound which damages the ozone layer and also contributes to climate change.
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban said he is especially pleased that this historic agreement was reached on the eve of the High-Level Event on Climate Change convened by him on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
He noted that international efforts to protect the ozone layer and to combat climate change are mutually supportive, adding that the agreement reached in Montreal includes a commitment to make sufficient funding available to implement the strategy of phasing out HCFCs.
The Secretary-General hoped member states will demonstrate the same urgency and boldness as they turn to the sources of greenhouse gases.
Representatives from about 200 countries have agreed during a meeting in Montreal, Canada to freeze production and consumption of HCFCs in 2013 and phase them out by 2030 -- 10 years sooner than an earlier agreement.
Source: Xinhua
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