The United Nations has declared September 16 as International Ozone Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer to commemorate the date of the Montreal Protocol Agreement on the Control of Ozone Depleting Substances which was signed on September 16, 1987. The theme of this year’s World Ozone Day is “Montreal Protocol-Keeping Us, Our Food and Vaccines Cool ”shows the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol in ensuring that the ozone layer is always preserved and also has an impact on life, especially the process of food storage and vaccines.

In line with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the Malaysian government, this year the 2021 National Level World Ozone Day Celebration was held under a new norm, namely online. A special platform has been set up for the celebration. The program is open to the public. The program was announced through the social media of the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) and the Department of Environment.

The first National Level World Ozone Day celebration, which was held online for the first time, was officiated by the Honorable Minister of Environment and Water, Dato ‘Sri Tuan Ibrahim bin Tuan Man. Various promotional and awareness activities on ozone layer protection were held to raise public awareness.

The event which was held virtually received a good response from the public where it was attended by about 600 participants. The event not only attracted participants from Malaysia, but also from Brazil, Belgium, Thailand, Japan, Myanmar, America and Indonesia. The content of the celebration included 3 series of webinars, 2 series of pocket talks and interactive quizzes to test participants’ knowledge of ozone layer protection and the Montreal Protocol. A virtual exhibition was also held involving ten (10) exhibitors consisting of government, industry and accredited training institutions.
The celebration was a starting point to foster a culture of awareness on the importance of ozone layer protection and climate change issues.
More information on the 2021 National World Ozone Day Celebration can be found at worldozoneday.doe.gov.my .