Nairobi, Kenya, 5 October 2022 – After nearly three years of not meeting physically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Anglophone, and Francophone National Ozone Officers (NOOs) of the Africa Regional Networks were physically reunited from 3-5 October 2022, in Nairobi, Kenya. Participants included representatives from the Multilateral Fund Secretariat, the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, the Ozone Secretariat, Germany’s GiZ, UNIDO, World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Union des Associations Africaine des Acteurs de la Réfrigération et de la Climatisation (U-3ARC). This was the first time that the Joint Network meeting was held in Nairobi, giving the delegates an opportunity to visit UNEP Headquarters. The meeting was organized by UNEP’s OzonAction Africa Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team, with financial support from the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund.
The aim of the meeting was to provide an interactive forum for the Ozone Officers to exchange experiences, develop skills, share knowledge/ideas with their counterparts from across the region, and review the outcome of the implementation of issues identified at previous meetings. The meeting generated a set of concrete actions to be implemented during 2022 and 2023 by each participating country.
The sessions were vibrant, with participants stressing the need for more technical and financial support, more training of technicians (with emphasis on gender parity) and enhanced cooperation amongst the countries, as well as with other stakeholders or organizations with the same environmental objectives. More collaboration with institutions involved in professional teaching and training was also encouraged. Furthermore, the participants considered the accuracy and timeliness of data reporting to be fundamental for the success of the Montreal Protocol, and that it should continue to be given high attention by everyone. Both the Ozone Secretariat and Multilateral Fund Secretariat provided details of their respective reporting requirements.
Ozone Officers expressed the need for more training for the new Online Reporting System for reporting Article 7 data to the Ozone Secretariat, with support from the CAP team in organization of the relevant Network meetings. Given that Parties to the Montreal Protocol that have ratified the Kigali Amendment are required to establish a system for licensing the import and export of new, used, recycled and reclaimed hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Parties which have not yet done so were encouraged to establish an enforceable system at the earliest. In addition, non-Parties to the Amendment were also encouraged to establish an licensing system for monitoring purposes. The importance of the Regional Networks in promoting coordinated implementation of the Montreal Protocol’s hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) phase-out and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) phase-down was emphasized.
Compliance and enforcement related to the transboundary movement of substances was also a topic of discussion. Lack of stringent laws and regulations, in addition to weak enforcement measures in many developing countries, has made them vulnerable to dumping and transboundary movement of hazardous wastes. Additionally, mis-declaration of goods, false documentation, and concealment are some of the more common methods smugglers of illegal waste use to evade the law. The Ozone Secretariat has recently partnered with the World Customs Organization to reinforce the role of customs in implementing national laws and penalizing offenders and seizures disposed of in line with Montreal Protocol provisions. Countries were encouraged to organize border dialogues to further improve cooperation between the customs offices and National Ozone Units (NOUs) of neighboring countries. It was noted that joining and using the informal Prior Informed Consent (iPIC) mechanism could be instrumental to countries for avoiding unwanted trade in controlled substances and combating illegal trade.
Mr. James Curlin, Head of OzonAction, welcomed the participants and extended his appreciation for the remarkable work done by African governments to implement the Montreal Protocol activities, despite difficult times during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a moment of silence to remember the memory of two Ozone Officer colleagues who passed away during the pandemic, he extended his thanks to the NOUs, all partners, UNEP’s Regional Office in Africa, and African CAP team for their support for this meeting.
Mr. Frank Turyatunga, Director of UNEP’s Regional Office for Africa, commended the countries which ratified the Kigali Amendment and encouraged the remaining countries to do so at the earliest. He also encouraged the participants to produce common regional strategies to help affirm the implementation of the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment. The meeting sessions gave the countries an opportunity to share their experiences, both good practices and bad, on the implementation of the legal frameworks; they also shared their concerns and sought clarity on the approaches and guidelines put in the implementation of the two legislative frameworks. It was also a chance for the Parties to share opportunities they discovered as they proceeded with implementation, which could be useful to the countries to achieve the cross-cutting objectives.
In the same vein, the Deputy Director of Law Division, Mr. Arnold Kreilhuber also reiterated that, “the success of ozone implementation rests with all of us” and encouraged all partners to think collectively and act proactively to address the world’s pressing environmental issues. He noted the triple planetary crisis that confronts humanity – climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss – and highlighted that the Montreal Protocol plays a critical role either directly or indirectly in addressing each of them : “it fights against climate change by use of new refrigerants and through energy efficiency, it protects biodiversity by shielding fauna, flora, and humans from excessive ultraviolet radiation, and it provides a comprehensive management of ozone and climate damaging chemicals. The Protocol is thus a tremendously important tool in our arsenal to protect the planet from these dangers, as well as contributing to the achievement of numerous Sustainable Development Goal targets.”
In his remarks, Mr. Cyrus Mageria, the Deputy Director of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya, stated that his country remains firmly committed to the Montreal Protocol and has made tremendous progress in implementing the HCFC phase out. He noted that the country has developed a national cooling action plan and is also on the verge of having the Kigali Amendment approved by the Parliament. Mr. Mageria further stated that,” Kenya has already developed a National Cooling Plan (NCAP) as urged by the United Nations Secretary General during the World Ozone Day commemorated on September 16, 2019. In the same spirit, and through this platform, we would like to encourage each one of us to renew their commitment towards protecting our environment, and by extension, the Ozone layer.”
High tax rates being experienced in developing countries make- it hard for the countries to access the equipment, tools, technology, and training needed for the successful implementation of the Kigali Implementation Plan (KIP). Mr. Ole Reinholdt Nielsen, Chief of the Montreal Protocol Division, UNIDO, insisted on the importance of the provision of the required equipment and tools to countries, and that more training of the refrigerant technicians is needed. He mentioned that UNIDO is ready to work with countries to support the training of technicians, as well as work with the relevant OzonAction teams to look into the refurbishing, maintenance, and acquisition of the relevant equipment and tools needed.
On matters touching on customs and transboundary movement of substances, including refrigerants, Mr. Jiabin Qin, Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, World Customs Organization, shared on the priorities of the organization, which included circular economy, waste management, and greening of the WCO instruments. He mentioned that there is need for coordinated efforts to tackle matters of common concern, including wildlife, waste, and substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol, and that they will work closely with national contact focal points and strengthen their collaboration with Customs across countries, to expand their operational expertise on tolls and technology towards the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Currently, there are 29 regional training customs centers globally. WCO’s Operation Demeter and Operation Thunder have helped in thwarting transboundary shipments of illegal waste and ozone depleting substances (Operation Demeter VI) and striking off illegal wildlife and timber trafficking networks (Operation Thunder). Mr. Qin also informed the Participants of the regular changes the organization makes to its environmental instruments, usually every 5 years, including changes to Harmonized System (HS) codes and nomenclature.
Mr. Madi Sakande, the President of the U-3ARC, a Union of Associations of African Actors in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, touched on the importance of the use and strengthening of associations involved in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors towards the phase-out of HCFCs and HFCs in Africa; this ensures coherence in the implementation plans, strategies and objectives. Currently, there 44 African countries who are members of the U-3ARC association. He further mentioned that support will be given to countries who wish to be part of the Association and that the Union is ready to work with organizations with similar environmental objectives to support the African countries to enhance their refrigeration expertise.
The meeting participants included 12 female and 33 male Ozone Officers. Parties were encouraged to promote gender mainstreaming when implementing Montreal protocol objectives, and with the vision to spearhead this initiative, the CAP was encouraged to start scheduling training sessions as soon as possible.
In the margins of the meeting, the Fund’s Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer conducted interactive discussions with groups of NOOs as part of the data collection exercise for the Multilateral Fund's evaluation of the Regional Networks of Ozone Officers.
For more information
Patrick Salifu, Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator for Anglophone Africa
Yamar Guissé, Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator for francophone Africa
