The 197 Parties to the Montreal Protocol have agreed to begin work on an amendment that will reduce the global production and consumption of HFCs, at the 27th Meeting of the Parties (MOP) held on November 1-5 in Dubai. The amendment, named the ‘Dubai Pathway’, is expected to be completed in 2016 and puts to rest an ongoing discussion regarding HFC usage that has persisted among Montreal Protocol members for more than five years. The decision establishes a set of additional meetings where the parties will begin finalizing the amendment. Meetings will focus on financing, flexibility for countries in respect to specific needs and circumstances, consideration for countries that have already converted to HFCs to meet existing Montreal Protocol requirements, and more. Participating countries agreed that all future discussions will be structured through a newly formed contact group in hopes of progressing as efficiently as possible. Next year will possibly see a series of meetings to work out the details of the amendment, including an extraordinary Open- Ended Working Group meeting and Meeting of the Parties. The Montreal Protocol treaty was first signed on Sept. 16,  1987, and is widely considered to be one of the most effective multilateral environment treaties ever negotiated. It is the only treaty in the United Nations system to which every country is a signatory.