Montreal Protocol is a landmark international agreement designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer. The treaty was originally signed in 1987 and substantially amended in 1990 and 1992. The Montreal Protocol stipulates that the production and consumption of compounds that deplete ozone in the stratospherechlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroformare to be phased out by 2000 (2005 for methyl chloroform). 

Nepal is one of the 197 countries in the world that have signed and ratified the Montreal Protocol to phase out chemicals that harm the earth's ozone layer by 2015.  Nepal has ratified the Montreal Protocol of 1987 in 1994. Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology is the implementing agency. 

In response to the Convention, Protocol and London Amendment 1990, the Government of Nepal (GoN) formed National Program Preparation Team (NPPT) on 3 October 1996. The NPPT prepared Nepal Country Program for the Phasing out of the Ozone Depleting Substances and the program was agreed on 19 February 1999. The GoN assigned the Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology (NBSM) as an Implementing Agency working with the direction of National Ozone Committee (NOC) which was formed under the joint-secretariat level of the then Ministry of Population and Environment in o 28 February 2000.

Institutional Mechanism:

Implementation of the Convention and Protocol in Nepal started with the following undertakings:

• Ministry of Population and Environment (MoPE) was designated as a focal ministry
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• MoPE and the then Ministry of Industries, Department of Customes, Bureau of Standard and Metrology started working in close coordination
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• MoPE established the coordination with the Convention Secretariat and necessary organizations
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• A National Ozone Unit (NOU) was established in NBSM with the responsibility of implementing and monitoring the ODS.
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• Nepal Refrigeration and Electro Mechanical Association (NREMA) has been established in 2006 it cooperates very closely with the NOU and MOPE. NREMA has also attempted several activities regarding the awareness raising on ODS including training to the students and capacity building.

The  Government  formulated  policies  and  enacted  Acts  and  regulations  such  as Environment Protection Act, 1996, Environment Protection Rules, 1997 and Ozone Depleting Substances Consumption Rules (ODSCR), 2001 etc. Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of development works was institutionalized and standards related to the industrial effluents air quality were implemented by MoE. Similarly, NBSM has also implemented activities as the major Implementing Agency of the Convention, Protocol and London Amendment.

Present Status

As the focal point of Convention, Protocol , the  MoPE issued a public notice in the National Gazette on 25 September 2000 releasing the Government decision, on annual consumption, import quantity and phase-out rates of ODS. According to this notice, Nepal has already phased down the import of R-11 and R-12 refrigerant gas. 

In 2014 October 26, Government of Nepal published another notice on National Gazette with phase down plan of HCFC-22 as follows.

Nepal is strictly following this phase-down plan. Currently Ministry of Population and Environment grants permission for importing HCFC-22 and has allocated certain quotas for importers. The new importer is allowed to import only One Metric Ton annually and the old importer is allowed to import 2 Metric Ton annually. Before importing, the importers should bring lab test report of the refrigerant gas. With these all provisions, Nepal is committed for implementation of Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol and protection of Ozone Layer.