The 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP38) will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from Nov. 2 to 6, 2026. Photo: MOP38

NNA News - Rwanda will host the 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer from Nov. 2 to 6, bringing governments and other stakeholders together to review progress on ozone protection and the phase-down of climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons.

The meeting, known as MOP38, will take place in Kigali 10 years after countries adopted the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in the Rwandan capital in October 2016. The Ozone Secretariat has formally confirmed Kigali as the venue for the meeting.

Rwanda's Minister of Environment Bernadette Arakwiye said the meeting would provide an opportunity to assess implementation of commitments made a decade ago. “Rwanda is proud to welcome the world back to Kigali, ten years after countries came together here to adopt the Kigali Amendment,” Arakwiye said. “MOP38 is an opportunity to recognise the progress made, while also looking at what more is needed to fully implement the commitments we made.”

The Kigali Amendment requires countries to gradually reduce the production and consumption of HFCs, gases widely used in refrigeration and air-conditioning that have high global warming potential. The amendment entered into force in January 2019.

The United Nations Environment Programme's Ozone Secretariat says the HFC phase-down is expected to avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by the end of the century if fully implemented. It also says improvements in the energy efficiency of cooling equipment could increase the climate benefits of the transition.

Arakwiye said Rwanda's priorities would extend beyond reducing HFCs. “That means continuing the transition away from high-global-warming HFCs, improving the energy efficiency of cooling equipment, expanding access to sustainable cooling and encouraging all countries to join the Kigali Amendment,” she said. “These actions can deliver important benefits for the climate, but also for food security, healthcare and economic development.”

Megumi Seki, Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat, said the meeting would allow countries to examine progress under the amendment and determine priorities for the coming decade. “The Montreal Protocol has demonstrated what sustained international cooperation can achieve,” Seki said. “Ten years after the adoption of the Kigali Amendment, returning to Kigali gives Parties an opportunity to take stock of progress and strengthen implementation for the next decade.”

Seki identified continued HFC reductions, greater energy efficiency and wider ratification of the Kigali Amendment as important to achieving its climate benefits. The Montreal Protocol has also been associated with measurable progress in restoring the ozone layer. The latest major scientific assessment cited by the World Meteorological Organisation projects that, if current policies remain in place, ozone levels could return to 1980 values around 2040 for most of the world, 2045 over the Arctic and 2066 over Antarctica.

Rwanda's Environment Management Authority said MOP38 is expected to attract up to 1,000 participants. Alongside the negotiations, Kigali will host activities on sustainable cooling, technology, skills development and investment, including an innovation exhibition focused on climate-friendly cooling and cold-chain technologies.

The meeting will therefore bring the Montreal Protocol back to the city where the Kigali Amendment was adopted, with discussions expected to focus on how countries can translate the agreement's commitments into further reductions in HFC use and improvements in energy efficiency.