Sculpture of Chinese Goddess Nv Wa unveiled at UN headquarters in Vienna

A sculpture of the Chinese Goddess Nv Wa was unveiled Wednesday at the UN headquarters in Vienna to mark the international efforts to protect the ozone Layer.

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The 4.1-meter-high sculpture, designed and donated by Chinese artist Yuan Xikun, is inspired by the old Chinese legend "Nv Wa Patches up the Sky" and symbolizes the need to protect the ozone layer.

The event was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and the 20th anniversary of relevant programs launched by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

"As a signatory country of the Montreal Protocol, China is also actively involved in the program of the Protection of the Ozone Layer, and has created noteworthy achievements under the coordination of UNIDO," Cheng Jingye, China's permanent representative to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, said at the unveiling ceremony.

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The Montreal Protocol, adopted in 1987, is considered crucial in the efforts to restore and protect the ozone layer by phasing-out various substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion.

In 1992, UNIDO became the fourth implementing agency of the Montreal Protocol. It has been playing a positive role in international programs of ozone layer protection since then and was chosen as the best implementing agency for nine consecutive years.

China is considered to be one of the countries which have implemented the largest number of protection programs organized by UNIDO.