EIA Briefing to the 96th Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund
As the Executive Committee (ExCom) convenes for its 96th Meeting, the Montreal Protocol stands at a pivotal moment in its efforts to address climate change and ozone protection. With the challenging dual phase-out of HCFCs and phase-down of HFCs now well under way, and the impacts of the accelerating climate crisis being felt more keenly every year, the need for ambition, transparency and innovation has never been more urgent. In this briefing, EIA highlights key areas for ExCom’s consideration, and outlines recommendations on several agenda items including the proposed HCFC Phase-out Management Plans (HPMPs) and Kigali Implementation Plans (KIPs). A summary of EIA’s recommendations is provided below, ahead of the main briefing text.
General recommendations:
- Maximise climate, ozone and other environmental benefits by prioritising natural refrigerants, urgently pursuing a phase-out of HFC-23 use and aligning phase-down efforts with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal
- Ensure transparency and ambition in all ExCom-supported plans, including atmospheric monitoring, data reporting and the use of revolving funds
- Avoid support for HFC-based technologies under all funding modalities and instead promote scalable natural refrigerant alternatives
Recommendations for HPMPs and KIPs:
- Prioritise early and complete phase-out of HCFCs while avoiding transitions to high- or mid-GWP HFCs, and ensure synergy with future KIP activities
- Strengthen regulatory frameworks through bans on high-GWP substances and equipment, robust licensing systems and adoption of standards for natural refrigerants
- Invest in training and capacity-building, ensuring technician certification, support for enforcement agencies and alignment with national regulatory systems
- Promote demonstration and pilot projects using F-gas-free and not-in-kind technologies
- Improve data accuracy and standardise projections to avoid inflated business-as-usual forecasts and ensure KIP targets reflect real consumption needs.
Read the full briefing.