Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has hailed the efforts of the
international community in protecting the atmosphere, noting
that with the global phase-out of 98 per cent of ozone-depleting
gases, the ozone layer is now on track to recover over the next
five decades. “I urge Governments and all partners to apply the
same spirit to the other great environment and development
challenges of our times. Together, we can achieve the future we
want,” Mr. Ban said in his message on the International Day for
the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, observed annually on 16
September. The date commemorates the date of the signing, in
1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the
Ozone Layer, which aims to protect the ozone layer by taking
measures to control total global production and consumption of
substances that deplete it, with the ultimate objective of their
elimination. The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects
the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus
helping preserve life