Coral Coast, Fiji, 3 November 2022 – National Ozone Officers from the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) met in Fiji for their Network Meeting from 10-12 October 2022 to prepare countries to meet the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) freeze from 1 January 2024, while sustaining hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) phase-out. Back-to-back with this meeting was the training workshop of new National Ozone Unit (NOU) staff held from 13 - 14 October 2022. The purpose of this workshop was to strengthen the capacity of NOU staff to implement the Montreal Protocol.
Forty participants (24 female and 16 male) from all 14 PICs, as well as representatives from the Government of Australia, the Multilateral Fund Secretariat, the Secretariat of Pacific Community, the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) and the Airconditioning and Refrigerant Equipment Manufacturers Association of Australia (AREMA).
Participants at the Network meeting discussed actions necessary for countries in the PIC to meet the first control obligation, i.e. freezing HFC consumption in the next 15 months under the Kigali Amendment, which was ratified by 12 out of 14 countries. Options for enforcement of HFC quota and licensing system, trade data monitoring & reporting, verification and reconciliation, and collaboration with Customs Authorities in a holistic manner were explored, and challenges in data reporting were reviewed. The participants also discussed the modality of how to collect HFC data for the preparation of the Kigali HFC Implementation Plans (KIPs).
All 14 PICs have reduced their HCFC consumption by 91% from the baseline level. A small deviation in importation could cause a country to become non-compliance. It is therefore important for National Ozone Officers to closely monitor HCFC consumption to sustain their achievements and to integrate good servicing practices in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and the stand-alone certification system. Participants also brainstormed on activities to integrate energy efficiency into Montreal Protocol implementation following the ExCom Decision 89/6 to provide additional funding from the Multilateral Fund to promote energy efficiency in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector.
During the break-out group discussions on three main topics - ‘Administration and Financial Management’, ‘Regional KIP Preparation’ and ‘Energy Efficiency Initiatives under HPMP’, countries further improved their understanding of various issues, exchanged ideas and shared their needs. A set of concrete actions to be implemented during 2022 and 2023 was agreed upon by each participating country.
As the first in-person training since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Training workshop for new Ozone staff was participated by 25 participants from 10 countries (15 Female/10 Male). The training covered essential information, knowledge and skills for the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. The two-day training was delivered using a series of standardized training tools prepared by the UNEP Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) Global team.
The PICs Network Meeting and the Training workshop of National Ozone Unit staff were organized by the UNEP OzonAction CAP, Asia and the Pacific Office as part of its approved 2022 Work Programme under the Multilateral Fund.
For more information
Mr. Shaofeng Hu
Senior Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator
UNEP, Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP)
Asia and Pacific Office
Email: hus[at]un.org
