News

The following stories from Vanuatu are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."  

Colleen Keyworth was appointed President for the year 2023 with Dr. Ina Colombo-Youla as President-Elect to serve the following year.   Paris, 30 November 2022 – Formed this year, the International Network for Women in Cooling (INWIC) has appointed its first President and President-Elect. Colleen Keyworth was voted in by the board as President to serve as of 1 January 2023 with Dr. Ina Colombo-Youla as President-Elect to succeed her in 2024.

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.

Chiang Mai, Thailand, 6 October 2022 ‒ National Ozone Officers (NOOs) in the South-Asia (SA) and Southeast Asia (SEA) Networks met from 3-5 October 2022 in Chiang Mai, Thailand to do some forward thinking about the sustainability of Montreal Protocol implementation.

Paris, 28 October 2022 – ASHRAE and UNEP OzonAction are pleased to announce the opening for submissions for the 2022 Lower GWP Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning Innovation Award until the closing date, 31 December 2022.

The following stories from the United States of America are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."  

The following stories from the United Kingdom are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY HAYLEY ANN BILLSON

1 August 2022, Chongqing, China ‒ The 11th Ozone2Climate (O2C) Technology Roadshow and Industry Roundtable was jointly organized by the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China(FECO/MEE) and the China Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry Association (CRAA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as part of the 33rd International Exhibition for Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, Heating and Ventilation, Frozen Food Processing, Packaging and Storage (CRH 2022), one

Beirut, Lebanon, 15 July 2022 ‒ The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), West Asia Office, in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization  (UNIDO) and the National Ozone Unit (NOU) of the Syrian Arab Republic, organized a successful two-day workshop from 23-24 June 2022 in Beirut, Lebanon, for the manufacturing sector of Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning (RAC) and thermal insulations in Syria on alternative technologies and data verification for the investment components of the HCFC Phase-out Managemen

The following stories from Togo and United Arab Emirates are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY AGBAVOR YAWA MAWULI, TOGO In 2004 I enrolled at the CRETFP (regional centre for technical education and vocational training) to receive training in refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) and two years later obtained my qualification.

BANGKOK, 13 July 2022 – 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.  

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.