The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), Asia and the Pacific Office organized two virtual meetings on 27 and 28 July 2021, to assist National Ozone Officers from the Regional Networks of Ozone Officers for South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Island Countries to gain a better understanding of various mechanisms to employ for more accurate data collection and data reconciliation. Seventy-eight participants (32 female and 46 male) from 27 countries in the region joined the discussions, which covered data collection mechanisms/approaches, data sources for reconciliation as well as how to resolve data differences and how to estimate sectoral data, based on countries’ experiences and findings from activities such as the verification of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) consumption.
Data on the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) are the cornerstone that underpins the entire Montreal Protocol process. Without reliable and timely data provided by all Parties, the Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol could not review the compliance status of Parties, decision-makers at the national, regional, and international levels could not formulate appropriate control measures, devise realistic phase-out strategies, or provide the necessary financial and technical assistance required by developing countries. The accurate, timely, and comprehensive reporting of data has therefore emerged as one of the key obligations under the Protocol. Data collection is critical for all Parties to fulfill their external obligations under the Protocol and its Amendments, and it also facilitates internally the verification of their position vis-à-vis their national strategies to phase out ODS and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
There are various data sources starting from customs import/export data, data from quota and licensing systems, and data from importers. These data can be supplemented with data from end-users such as manufacturers and servicing workshops which in turn can be analyzed to understand sectoral data and use. Using a hypothetical example in an interactive spreadsheet, the meeting demonstrated the type of data that can be received and how to analyze it, spot anomalies, and reconcile the data, and explored various reasons behind data discrepancies. Data reconciliation could be conducted monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually based on the country context, and considering the trade volume of controlled substances and quality of data received from different sources. The participants extensively discussed the implications of the two different options of licensing systems, i.e., annually or per-shipment which could be for data reporting and tracking of imports made.
Participants shared their views on the challenges that they might face in their countries. Ms. Bolor-Erdene Otgonbaigal from the National Ozone Authority Mongolia stated “Our licensing and quota is issued annually. Before 2020 (the approved national codes entered into force from January 1, 2020) when there were no national codes for HFCs, we used to have a per-shipment registration attached to each license. It has been helpful that Mongolia has approved national Harmonised System (HS) codes for ODS and ODS alternatives so that the customs information system is automatically registering the shipments of each company, and the National Ozone Unit (NOU) receives the quarterly data from the customs authority. The quarterly data is reconciled with the license of each company to determine whether it is within the allowed limit while the annual data is reconciled with the importer's report which is required to be submitted by each importer upon next year's quota allocation in accordance with the regulations (2018).”
Ms. Roselyn Bue, Senior Officer (Chemical and Ozone), NOU of Vanuatu mentioned that for her country, “It is challenging to get information from customs and sometimes the information on goods is not specific enough to have comprehensive data for reconciliation. Based on key findings and action points from the verification of HCFC consumption to strengthen existing data tracking and reconciliation mechanism, Vanuatu is now working with customs and trade in developing an online national single window system that will give the NOU direct access to the system and information to closely monitor trade statistics. Discussion and experience sharing during the workshops are useful for us to work with the customs to design the system in particular the accurate declaration of the shipments.”
Subsequently, UNEP was requested to prepare a factsheet and organize joint meetings of Ozone Officers and Customs Officers to facilitate data exchange and reconciliation between the NOU and the customs authorities. The countries also recognized the importance of having reliable data reported under Article 7, especially during the baseline setting years for HFCs (which is 2020-2022 for Article 5 Group I countries).
This meeting was the fourth in a series of thematic workshops that UNEP CAP will conduct in the region following a survey of Asia-Pacific Network members conducted in November 2020 and as per UNEP’s approved 2021 CAP Workplan.