EIA Briefing to the 98th Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund

This year the Montreal Protocol community marks a decade since the adoption of the Kigali Amendment. The 10-year Kigali anniversary is a significant milestone, but comes at a time of accelerating climate breakdown, ongoing threats to ozone layer recovery and a wider weakening in multilateral cooperation.

As the Executive Committee (ExCom) convenes for its 98th Meeting, EIA calls on members to recommit to the goals of the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment and to step up their ambition to meet the urgent challenge of climate and ozone layer protection.

With the planet experiencing record-breaking temperatures year-on-year and the window to limit global warming to even 2°C rapidly closing, the need for serious, committed action to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) could not be more pressing.

The global demand for cooling is rising and, without decisive action, high-GWP HFC-based technologies risk becoming entrenched for decades. The Kigali Amendment was designed to avoid this lock-in, yet its full potential remains untapped, with 82% of the Kigali Implementation Plans so far allowing HFC consumption to continue growing until at least 2029, despite the baseline freeze in 2024.

ExCom must treat this anniversary as a catalyst for transformation, ensuring that the resources of the Multilateral Fund (MLF) are directed towards the most impactful, strategic and sustainable solutions.

With the impacts of climate change now driving scarcity, conflict and instability around the world, business as usual is no longer acceptable.