Experts from Latin America and the Caribbean are meeting in the Chilean capital to assess the region's progress in eliminating the production and use of substances that deplete the Earth's atmospheric ozone layer. According to the Montreal Protocol, signed by 180 countries in 1987, developing countries have until 2010 to find replacements for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons, and until 2015 to halt use of methyl bromide.

The meeting coincides with the United Nations-sponsored International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, Sep 16.