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Earth's ozone layer has increased for the first time in 35 years, according to a new United Nations report. 

The report has credited the recovery in part to the phasing out of (CFCs) following the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987. It was discovered in early 1970s that ozone layer was thinning above Antarctica, damaging crops and putting people at risk for skin cancer from the harmful ultraviolet rays. 

"It's a victory for diplomacy and for science and for the fact that we were able to work together," chemist Mario Molina, who won a Nobel Prize for his research into the ozone layer, told The Washington Post.

The report underscored the fact that while the progress has been made, the ozone layer is still six percent thinner than it was in the 1980s. Further it added that it would take until 2050 to return to healthy conditions. 

"There are positive indications that the ozone layer is on track to recovery towards the middle of the century. The Montreal Protocol - one of the world's most successful environmental treaties - has protected the stratospheric ozone layer and avoided enhanced UV radiation reaching the earth's surface," said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, according to Inhabitat. 

The report can be read here.