Bangladesh is among the 22 countries of South Asia and South East Asia Pacific (SASEAP) network whose ozone officers will discuss preparation of compliance action plans for Montreal Protocol, strengthening institutions tasked with ozone protection during this compliance period and recovery and re-use of refrigerants.

Preservance of the ozone layer is important in protecting the earth from the ultra-violet rays of the sun.

Among the Asia Pacific region, two largest CFC producing countries are India and China.

Ozone officers from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, North Korea, Lao, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Combodia, China and Fiji will take part in the meeting.

Afghanistan and Bhutan will attend the meeting although they are not the parties to the Montreal Protocol.

Representatives of the World Bank, UNIDO, UNDP and UNEP and other bilateral agencies will also participate in the meeting.

It will also review the follow-up action on the recommendations made by their first meeting in Phuket, Thailand last year.

The choice of Agra as the venue of the two separate meetings bears the significance that they will focus the problems of air pollution being faced by Taj Mahal, the 17th century monument of love built by Mughal Emperor Shahajahan for his wife Momtaz.

The problem has already stirred NGOs, technical experts and the Indian government for several years.