News

Paris, 27 July 2021  ̶  The Global Food Cold Chain Council (GFCCC) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction announced the launch of their Cold Chain Database and Modelling initiative.  The initiative marks the first formal step to assist developing countries in identifying their cold chain baseline along with their consumption of relevant HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) or HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) or other refrigerants.

Saudi Arabia, 16 July 2021 - The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), West Asia Office in association with its partners the National Ozone Unit (NOU) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the KSA-Customs Office, and in cooperation with the Philippines Ozone Desk organized a successful two-day (12-13 July 2021) online training for Customs Officers to accomplish the tasks under the HCFC Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP) in Saudi Arabia.  It is worth noting that this was the first time the West Asia Network coordinated with the South

Male, 2 July 2021  ̶  The Maldives has set an example for all developing countries by becoming the first to phase out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and the first country ever to complete an HCFC Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) under the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund.

Bangkok, Thailand, 17 June 2021 –  The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), Asia and the Pacific Office organised a virtual meeting to assist National Ozone Officers from the Regional Networks of Ozone Officers for South Asia and Southeast Asia to explore different options for allocating and managing their country's hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) quota system to meet obligations under the Montreal Protocol's Kigali Amendment.

Paris, 1 July 2021 ‒ Following the completion of a competitive recruitment process for the Head of OzonAction at the D-1 level, UNEP has appointed Mr. James (Jim) Curlin as Head of OzonAction. Jim’s career has progressively evolved since 1993 and has been centred on UNEP’s role as an Implementing Agency of the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund.

Bangkok, Thailand, 4 May 2021 – Most countries in the Asia and Pacific region are in Article 5 Group 1, as per the Kigali Amendment, and need to freeze hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) consumption at baseline level starting from 2024.  Moreover, the HFC phase-down will overlap with the ongoing HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) phase-out for most Article 5 countries.  To assist the South Asia (SA) and

Paris, France, 16 April 2021  ̶  For more than a decade, ASHRAE and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction have been working together to promote the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies and practices in developing countries that avoid or replace ozon

Bangkok, Thailand, 12 March 2021 ‒ National Ozone Officers from the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) – Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu – as well as representatives from the Government of Australia, a bilateral implementing agency, and

Bangkok, Thailand, 10 March 2021 – Under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, all developing countries in Asia-Pacific are effectively phasing out their consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) according to their international commitments.

Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá, 29 de enero 2021 ‒  El equipo para América Latina del Programa de Asistencia para el Cumplimiento, financiado mediante el Fondo Multilateral para la Aplicación del Protocolo de Montreal,  organizó el evento virtual «Ciencia del Ozono, Cambio Climático y COVID 19», presentado por el doctor José M. Rodríguez, físico experto en la disminución de ozono estratosférico de la Agencia Espacial de los Estados Unidos (NASA).

Ciudad del Saber, Panamá, 15 de enero de 2021 - Acción por el Ozono es un Organismo de Ejecución del Fondo Multilateral (mecanismo financiero del Protocolo de Montreal) que tiene como función fortalecer la capacidad de los gobiernos de los países en desarrollo para que puedan cumplir y mantener sus obligaciones de cumplimiento en virtud del Protocolo de Montreal.

Mbour, Sénégal, 14 janvier 2021 – Le Programme des Nations Unies pour l’Environnement (PNUE) ActionOzone, dans le cadre de son mandat auprès du Fonds multilatéral pour l’application du Protocole de Montréal poursuit son soutien aux actions de formation et de renforcement des capacités dans les pays Article 5, en particulier en Afrique francophone.

Ciudad del Saber, Panama, 14 December ‒  Society has changed since the 1960s, and the rights of women, in many aspects, are gradually being taken into consideration. Even in the traditionally male-dominated refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector, the number of female engineers, technicians, trainers, practitioners and professors is steadily increasing.

Bangkok, Thailand, 25 November 2020 ‒ Article 5 countries continue to meet their obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. However, they have been facing more challenges with the implementation of this treaty during the COVID-19 crisis. Starting from 1 January 2020, Article 5 countries must phase-out 35% of their hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) baseline consumptions from their HCFC consumption, in conjunction with the need to prepare themselves for the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phase-down under the Protocol's Kigali Amendment.

Paris, France, 26 November 2020 ‒ The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction held two very relevant and timely side events as part of the 32nd Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. Due to the constraints on holding large meetings and travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, these side events were held online. Despite these limitations, several excellent speakers participated who ensured the highest quality of these events. The side events covered the following issues:

Beirut, Lebanon, 11 November 2020 ‒ As part of the 4th International ASHRAE Conference on Efficient Building Designs that took place from 5-6 November 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon, organized jointly by ASHRAE and the American University in Beirut (AUB), UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction organized a special live session on “Policies and Codes to Enable Compliance with the Montreal Protocol.”

Bangkok, 22 October 2020 ‒ The Pacific region is renowned for its serene and prestigious islands, including its diverse and rich ecosystems, but that natural and human wealth continues to face the major threat of climate change.

Damascus, Syria, 27 October 2020 ‒ Despite the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Syrian Arabic Republic continues to honour its commitments under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and is preparing itself for the next phase of this multilateral environmental agreement: the phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are widely used in refrigeration, air conditioning and foam manufacturing.

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 24 September 2020 ‒ Africa has witnessed an important milestone by the establishment of the first regional refrigeration and air-conditioning association, the Union of African Associations of Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Actors (U-3ARC).  U-3ARC was registered and launched with the support and membership of local refrig

One of the central features of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is that it regulates the international trade of certain chemicals that do harm to our Earth's protective shield, the stratospheric ozone layer, and also contribute to climate change. The treaty relies on compliance and enforcement of national customs regulations, import-export licensing systems, and other laws that restrict or prohibit those substances from entering a country's borders.

Bangkok, 18 August 2020 –  Accurate and timely data are the bedrock of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The data collected and reported by individual Parties to this multilateral environmental agreement are used for many purposes ranging from assessing a country's compliance to determining its eligibility for financial support.

22 July 2020, Bangkok - For Pacific Island nations, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unwanted distraction from a more existential crisis: climate change. With rising sea levels threatening to erase some countries from the map, perhaps it is no surprise that these same countries have been some of the most proactive during the pandemic in driving forward efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

27 May 2020, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – The National Ozone Authority (NOA) of Mongolia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism is continuing work without let-up amid the COVID-19 pandemic by building the capacity of the country's refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) technicians for servicing room air conditioners that use alternative gases, in line with the objectives of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

With challenges to organize face-to-face events and the postponement of the 6th high ambient temperature (HAT) symposium, planned last March, UNEP OzonAction in cooperation with UNIDO and ASHRAE designed an international Webinar about Alternative Refrigerants for High-Ambient Temperature Countries” convening all HAT countries to share the knowledge acquired from all relevant HAT assessment and research projects with emphasis on the research projects conducted by UNEP/UNIDO in relation to the technical feasibility of alternatives and building risk assessment models to ensure safe deployment

As part of their cooperation to support the needs of different stakeholders in developing countries to fulfil their commitments under the Montreal Protocol, the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) and UNEP OzonAction today released the French and Spanish versions of their popular Technology Briefs on the Cold Chain.