Vienna Convention for Protection of the Ozone Layer

• It is a multilateral environmental agreement agreed upon at the 1985 Vienna Conference and entered into force in 1988.
• It has been ratify ed by 197 states (all UN members as well as Niue, Holy See, and the Cook Islands) as well as European Union.
• It acts as a framework for international efforts to protect the ozone layer. These are laid out in the accompanying Montreal Protocol. It does not include legally binding reduction goals for the use of CFCs, the main chemical agents causing ozone depletion.

Montreal Protocol

• It is an international treaty designed to protect ozone layer by phasing out production of numerous Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) that are responsible for ozone depletion.
• It was agreed on 26 August 1987 in Montreal, Canada and entered into force on 26 August 1989.

Kigali Agreement

• It is an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
• It happened during the 28th Meeting of Parties (2016) when the 197 member countries signed the agreement to amend the Montreal Protocol.
• It is a legally binding agreement between the signatories. And, there are non-compliance measures to ensure its implementation.
• It sets different targets for countries depending upon the states of development, different socio-economic constraints, and varying technological and scientific capacities.
• The Kigali Agreement upholds the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities.
• The agreement classifi es the signatory parties into three as per the phasedown schedules to freeze and reduce the production of HFCs.