U.N. Marks International Ozone Day

The United Nations and the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) Saturday in Nairobi marked the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, calling on governments, industries, non-governmental organizations and individual citizens to remain vigilant against the ozone-depleting substances.

"Today we have an opportunity to focus global attention and action on the conservation of the ozone layer, " said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his message released here by the UNEP on Saturday.

"I applaud this year's theme for International Ozone Day, 'Save Our Sky: Protect Yourself; Protect the Ozone Layer'," he said. "It is a reminder that the future of our planet as well as humankind is in our hands."

Annan was speaking shortly after satellites confirmed that the current ozone "hole" over the Antarctic is the largest ever recorded. The hole now measures 28.3 million square kilometers, over 1 million square kilometers larger than the previous record

in 1998.

"Attention must now shift from the industrialized countries, which have led the way in lowering chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) output, to developing countries, which must phase out CFC emissions by 2010, the deadline agreed under the Montreal Protocol, " Annan said.

He said "only continued compliance with the Protocol by both developed and developing nations will ensure a complete recovery

of the ozone layer."

The thinning of the ozone layer threatens human skin, eyes and immune systems, damages plants and animals and poses unknown hazards to the planet's climate.

Last December, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer met in China and adopted the Beijing Declaration, reiterating their commitment to protecting the ozone layer. They also adopted critical decisions ensuring further financial support to help developing countries phase out CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances.

"The partnership between developed countries and developing countries must remain strong and effective so that the momentum achieved to date will continue throughout the developing-country phase-out that started last year," said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer.

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