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Ghana has received a certificate of commendation from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) for ratifying the Vienna Convention, the Montreal Protocol and, most important, implementing UN provisions which seek to protect the ozone layer from destruction. A statement from the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) signed by the Deputy minister, Dr Edward K. Omane Boamah, said Ms Hanny-Sherry Ayittey, the Minister of MEST, received the certificate. The certificate, signed by the United Nations Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Mr Steiner Achim, was presented to Ms Ayittey at the 21st meeting of the 169 parties to the Montreal Protocol in Egypt held a fortnight ago. Ms Ayittey, receiving the certificate, said Ghana had sought to support conventions and protocols that protected the environment because �it is our fervent desire that the spirit of global co-operation is maintained for the benefit of mankind and the protection of our environment�. She noted that Ghana, as a responsible member of the global community, did not use a lot of ozone-depleting substances but the government had already taken bold steps to control imports by imposing regulations measured to ensure that the quantum of substances imported into the country by a few companies was consistent with the Montreal Protocol Phase Out plans. �A number of other relevant interventions have also been established and are being implemented to ensure that Ghana contributes meaningfully towards the global effort for the protection of the ozone layer. Specific projects are in the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) commercial end-user refrigeration sector,� she said. She indicated that through a co-ordinated monitoring programme on the local market, a number of mislabelled and contaminated refrigerators had been intercepted and detained because such materials could not be used in any particular refrigeration system. �Ghana has braced itself to fully implement the high CFC freeze by 2013, as well as subsequent reduction steps. A national survey has already been carried out and the various user sectors identified, while a workshop has been held in that direction and project preparations currently underway,� she said. Ms Ayittey congratulated the parties to the protocol on their steadfastness towards achieving its objectives and also thanked the assessment panel for its immeasurable commitment to the daunting task of providing direction and insight into issues for developing countries to overcome diverse challenges in meeting their commitment under the protocol. The ozone layer is a layer in the earth�s atmosphere which shields the entire earth from much of the harmful radiation from the sun, while CFC is a halogenated chemical used in the manufacturing of refrigerators. The CFC content in refrigerators is injurious to the earth, hence UNEP protocols seek to regulate the levels used in manufacturing.