News

Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 12 February 2024 – UNEP’s OzonAction Asia-Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team organized the Twinning Workshop for the Pacific Island Countries (PIC) Montreal Protocol Officers, Energy-Efficiency Policy Makers, and Financial Mechanisms Focal Points to Support Kigali Amendment Objectives.

Chicago, USA (January 22, 2024) – UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction and ASHRAE have an ongoing collaboration spanning almost two decades to help developing countries manage an environmentally-responsible, smooth and safe transition to new refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) technologies and practices in support of the goals set by the Montreal Protocol and the Paris Climate Accord:  replacing ozone depleting substances (ODS), promoting lower global warming potentials (GWPs), and enhancing energy efficiency.

New Qualification Programme for Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Technicians: Refrigerant Driving License available for use by National Ozone Units

Melbourne, Australia 11 – 15 December 2023 ‒ United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Asia Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team in collaboration with the Government of Australia and the Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association of Australia (AREMA) jointly organized the Second Training-the-Trainers Workshop on Good Servicing Practices (GSP) in Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning (RAC) Sector.

Dubai, UAE, 5 December 2023 − In a world grappling with a surge in cooling demand, particularly in high ambient temperature (HAT) countries, the intricate interplay between rising living standards, escalating temperatures, and the imperative for efficient cooling technologies has emerged as a critical concern. The escalating global demand for cooling brings forth the daunting challenge of simultaneously mitigating its environmental impact.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 – 30 November 2023 ‒ UNEP’s OzonAction Asia-Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team, in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment and Water of Malaysia, organized a three-day workshop that aimed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge to become effective master assessors of good servicing practices in the refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) servicing sector.

Dubai, UAE, 4 December 2023 − In a groundbreaking event during the COP-28 from the Montreal Protocol Pavilion entitled "You can't be what you can't see – What can INWIC do for Women in Cooling", several Montreal Protocol partners and stakeholders gathered to discuss the challenges and opportunities for women in the Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning, and Heat-pumps (RACHP) industry.

Treatment plant to separate refrigerant mixtures into their components in MszczonówWarsaw, Poland, 28-30 November 2023 - The study tour was part of the country-to-country assistance between Poland and Armenia and organized by UNEP OzonAction’s Montreal Protocol Network for Europe and Central

Phuket, Thailand, 20 – 24 November 2023 ‒ UNEP’s OzonAction Asia-Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team organized three meetings in Phuket, Thailand from 20-24 November 2023 on: a) the Pilot Advanced National Ozone Officers Training Workshop, b) the Joint Meeting of National Ozone Officers (NOOs) in parallel with c) the Thematic Workshop to Enhance Awareness and Communications under the Montreal Protocol – attended by the South Asia (SA) and Southeast Asia (SEA) Networks of National Ozone

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, 20 November 2023 – The Regional Meeting for National Ozone Officers of the French-Speaking African Network was held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire from 20 to 23 November 2023.  The meeting was organized by the UNEP OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme team in Africa in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Cote d`Ivoire to facilitate the sharing of experiences and good practices in various areas under the Montreal Protocol among countries of the African Francophone network.

Energy-efficiency and Ozone experts meet to explore cooperation and funding opportunities for climate protection in Montreal Protocol context

Washington, DC September 21, 2023 – The Global Food Cold Chain Council (GFCCC), the United Nations Environment Programme OzonAction, and its partners announce that the 2023 World Cold Chain Symposium, taking place in advance of the Montreal Protocol 35th Meeting of the Parties on October 21st, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya, will feature four sessions focusing on different aspects of the theme Sustainable Growth: Building Business Models for Cold Chain Development.

Praia, Cape Verde, 16 August 2023 – Twenty (20) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) experts from eight African Francophone countries – Benin, Chad, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Niger, Senegal and Togo (20 male) successfully participated in the Theory, practice training and certification session on servicing best practices and safe handling of F-Gases in refrigeration held in Praia, Cape Verde from 17 – 21 July 2023.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 7 de agosto de 2023 – Como parte de las actividades de implementación de la Enmineda de Kigali al Protocolo de Montreal en Honduras, el pasado 27 de julio, se llevó a cabo un Taller Informativo destinado a los sectores de Importadores de Equipos de Refrigeración Nuevos y Usados así como a los Talleres Técnicos de Servicio en Refrigeración y Aire Acondicionado.

Bangkok, Thailand, 4 July 2023 ‒ Refrigerant Driving License (RDL), a global qualification program for refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) technicians, was unveiled at the 45th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Bangkok.

ASHRAE and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have announced the project selections for the 2023 ASHRAE-UNEP OzonAction Lower-GWP Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Innovation Awards. The annual international award program promotes innovative design, research, and practice by recognizing people who have developed or implemented innovative technological concepts applied in developing countries to promote lower global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants through ref

Paris, France, 26 June 2023 ‒ UNEP OzonAction joined with the World Refrigeration Day Secretariat and industry associations worldwide to celebrate World Refrigeration Day, 26 June. The focus of the 2023 campaign is “Next Generation Cooling” (NextGenCooling), both in the sense of technology and the people who design, manufacture install, and operate it.

Erbil, Iraq, 23 June 2023 – Twenty-seven (27) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) instructors (25 male, 2 female) from across Iraq successfully participated in the “Training of Trainers on the safe handling of refrigerants and application of good practices in refrigeration” held at the Vocational Training Directorate in Erbil, Iraq Kurdistan from 18 to 20 June 2023.

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 9 June 2023 – Twenty-four National Ozone Officers (NOOs) and National Refrigeration and Air-conditioning (RAC) experts from 13 African Francophone countries - Benin, Burundi, Chad, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, and Togo, (3 female, 21 male)  participated in a thematic workshop on Kigali Implementation Plans (KIP) preparation held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire from 22 to 23 May 2023.

Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, 17 May 2023 ‒  The UNEP OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), West Asia Regional Office, jointly organized with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), a two-day stakeholders’ consultation workshop to discuss the implementation of the preparatory project for Stage II of the HCFC Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), as approved by the Executive Committee (ExCom) at its 86th Meeting.

Port Vila, Vanuatu, 15 May 2023 ‒ UNEP’s OzonAction Asia-Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team in collaboration with the Government of Vanuatu organized a Network Meeting of the Pacific Island Countries (PIC) National Ozone Officers (NOOs) in Port Vila, Vanuatu (8-9 and 12 May 2023) to facilitate the Network countries to share experiences/good practices in var

Paris, France, 11 May 2023 — Today, the International Network for Women in Cooling (INWIC) officially launched its web service, available at http://www.inwic.org.

Panama City, Panama, 30 March 2023 — The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme, Latin America and the Caribbean, in cooperation with the Government of Panama hosted the English-Speaking Caribbean and Haiti Thematic Network Meeting for National Ozone Officers (NOOs), in Panama City, from 23 - 24 March 2023.  This was the first in-person meeting held following a 2-year series of virtual meetings owing to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Riyadh, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 24 March 2023 — UNEP OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), West Asia, in consultation and close cooperation with the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the GCC Standardization Organization (GCCSO), organized a two-day thematic technical meeting on 12-13 March 2023 at the headquarters of the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh, KSA.

Cairo, Egypt, 19 January 2023 ‒ There is a growing need for females to join the ranks of air- conditioning and refrigeration (RAC) technicians. A training workshop recently organized by the Government of Egypt and the United Nations OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) better prepared women for advancement in the field and revealed the unique challenges women face.