We have tightened controls, added new substances, accelerated phase-out schedules, replenished the Multilateral Fund, improved financial and technology transfer mechanisms, to name some of these improvements. I would like to add my personal appreciation for the efforts of all the delegates whom I understand worked long and hard. But it is now up to this Meeting of the Parties to consider their recommendations and to make the decisions necessary to lay the groundwork for the future of the Protocol. The Montreal Protocol has shown us that with the right elements, international agreements can lead to real progress and real results. The first element necessary for results is science.
Science is the foundation and the driving force behind all decisions and all actions.
After all, it was science that first alerted us to the problems of the thinning of our planet's natural sunscreen. It is science that has enabled us to track changes in the ozone layer. It is science that has identified the chemicals that are hurting the ozone layer. And, it is science that has provided and continues to provide guidance to policy-makers and industry on how to reduce and eliminate these harmful substances. The second element necessary to achieve results is cooperation.