News

BANGKOK, 13 July – UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction organized a side event on “Women in Cooling – Challenges and Opportunities” on 11 July during the forty-fourth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

Paris, 13 June 2022 – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), OzonAction, and the U-3ARC (Union of Associations of African Actors in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning) agreed to collaborate toward expanding and advancing technological awareness and best servicing practices in Africa’s refrigeration servicing sector.  

The theme for the 2022 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, to be marked on 16 September, is Montreal Protocol@35: global cooperation protecting life on earth. The theme recognises the wider impact the Montreal Protocol has on climate change and the need to act in collaboration, forge partnerships and develop global cooperation to address climate challenges and protect life on earth for future generations.Theme in the six UN official languages Arabic

Bangkok, Thailand, 16 May 2022 ‒ Forty-seven participants (male 27, female 20) from National Ozone Units (NOUs) and Customs authorities of countries in the Southeast Asia (SEA) Network gathered virtually on 10 May for a thematic meeting on the Adoption and Implementation of ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature 2022 (AHTN2022) for HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) to enhance monitoring, reporting, verification and enforcement (MRVE) of national HFC licensing systems.    

Bangkok, Thailand, 13 May 2022 ‒ National Ozone Officers (NOOs) from the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) – Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu – as well as representatives from the Government of Australia, the Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association (AREMA) of Australia, and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), came together virtually on 4 May 2022 to address the implementation of the Regional HCFC Phase-out Mana

The following stories from Switerland is an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY DOLAANA KHOVALYG

Bangkok, Thailand, 29 April 2022 ‒ The National Ozone Officers in the South-Asia (SA), Southeast Asia (SEA) and Pacific Islands (PIC) Networks virtually gathered and agreed to have their first in-person Network meeting from 17-19 July 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, back-to-back with the forty-fourth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (OEWG-44) from 11-16 July 2022 and the Fifth Extraordinary Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (ExMOP5) on 16 July 2022.  

Paris, 12 May 2022 ‒ To celebrate World Refrigeration Day, June 26, UNEP OzonAction, the Secretariat of Word Refrigeration Day (WRD), Chefs4thePlanet, and the

Prof. Yuan Xikun, UNEP Patron for the Arts and Environment, calls young generations to be part of the journey to display actions and approaches to protect ozone and climate through an ongoing #AsiaPacificRegionalOzone2ClimateArtContest with his sculpture inspired by the story of the Chinese Goddess Nüwa.  

The Asia Pacific Regional Ozone2Climate Art Contest - Popular Voting is NOW OPEN until 31 August 2022                                             

Paris, 11 April 2022 – The cooling sector delivers a tremendous number of benefits ranging from public health to food security to productive and comfortable workplaces and homes. It is a truly vital, dynamic, and rapidly growing field that represents a significant source of high-quality employment worldwide.

The following stories from Sri Lanka and Togo are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY PATHMI DAYARATHNE, SRI LANKA I am Ms Pathmi Priyangani Dayarathne, employed by the Ceylon German Technical Training Institute (CGTTI) as a training instructor in refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC).

Bangkok, Thailand, 21 March 2022 – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), Asia and the Pacific Office organized a virtual thematic workshop on the integration of Good Servicing Practices (GSP) into national Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Systems to promote a competency-based certification programme to continue efforts on knowledge and experience sharing among National Ozone Officers’ Networks of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands Countries

The following stories from South Africa are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY JOYCE CHIFAMBA Working in the HVAC industry was the best choice I ever made. Training in Zimbabwe was hard, but I managed to sail through. I had trainers who were so patient; I appreciate all their effort. I was taught to do all my jobs alone so that I didn’t have to depend on someone.

Bangkok, Thailand, 14 February 2022 – The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), Asia and the Pacific Office convened a virtual thematic workshop for National Ozone Officers from the Pacific Islands, South Asia and Southeast Asia Networks to further develop and advance the Asia Pacific Regional Ozone2Climate Art Contest.

The following stories from Sierra Leone and Solomon Islands are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY HANNAH I. KAMARA - SIERRA LEONE

Damascus, Syria, 31 January 2022 ‒ The UNEP OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) in West Asia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment of the Syrian Arab Republic, organized a physical workshop in Damascus on 18 January to present the outcomes of the Kigali Enabling Activities project that was completed in 2021, to initiate the preparation of the national Kigali Implementation Plan (KIP) to phase down  Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and to launch the implementation of the Hydroc

Bangkok, 23 November 2021 - The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), in the Asia-Pacific Office, in collaboration with UNEP’s National Environmental Law Unit organized a thematic workshop on Strengthening Enforcement of National Montreal Protocol Legislations for National Ozone Unit (NOU) staff and Enforcement Officers of South Asia (SA), Southeast Asia (SEA), and the Pacific Island Countries (PIC).

Paris, 15 December 2021 ‒  Refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pumps (RACHP) is a broad sector that includes the installation, commissioning, maintenance, repair, servicing and decommissioning of both domestic and commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. This sector is essential for many aspects of modern life, including for example, protecting public health, helping ensure food safety, and providing comfortable and healthy working and living environments. Both women and men deliver these vital services and products to us on a daily basis.

                                             “Heat Pumps to Save the World” Label of the 52nd International HVACR Congress and Exhibition in Belgrade, Serbia, 1-3 December 2021Belgrade, 1-3 December 2021 - As part of Serbia’s HCFC phase-out management plan (HPMP), the

The following stories from Serbia are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY NEVENA AKSIC

Bangkok, 20 October 2021 ‒ On 20 October, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), Asia and the Pacific Office organized a thematic workshop on the Digitalization of Licensing and Quota Systems for National Ozone Unit (NOU) staff and Customs Officers of South Asia (SA), Southeast Asia (SEA), and the Pacific Island Countries (PIC). 104 participants (38 female and 66 male) from 23 regional countries and representatives from Australia and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) attended the meeting.

Beijing, 3 November 2021 ‒ China began officially implementing its hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) import and export licensing system as of 1 November 2021, one and a half months earlier than the date stipulated by the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, according to a recent announcement jointly made by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Bangkok, 14 October 2022 ‒ The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), Asia and the Pacific Office organized a virtual orientation workshop for 69 (32 female and 37 male) new National Ozone Officers (NOO) and other staff members of 24 National Ozone Units (NOUs) in two sessions consecutively on 12 and 14 October 2021.