The Montreal Protocol, adopted in 1987, united the world to phase out ozone-depleting substances and put the ozone layer on a path to recovery, protecting all life on Earth. This year’s World Ozone Day celebrates this success story for multilateralism and highlights how phasing out ozone-depleting substances has also proven to be a powerful tool for slowing global warming, with the potential to further advance climate action now and in the years to come.

The Summit brings world leaders together to accelerate efforts to meet existing international commitments, and take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities. The Summit aims to mend eroded trust and forge a new international consensus that demonstrates that international cooperation can effectively achieve agreed goals and tackle emerging threats and opportunities - for the sake of all humanity and future generations.

There is unequivocal evidence that our planet is warming due to human activities — and sea levels are rising — at unprecedented rates in at least the last 2,000-3,000 years. Global warming-induced sea level rise is affecting the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities and low-lying island nations around the world today, and it is accelerating. The climate actions and decisions taken by policymakers in the coming months and years will determine how devastating these impacts become and how soon they will manifest in the future.