News

Prolonged heat waves and extreme weather are predicted for many parts of the world this summer. Temperature becomes the news, and with it, global demand for cooling rises.

Maputo, Mozambique, 10-12 June – The Regional Network Meeting for National Ozone Officers (NOOs) of the English-speaking African Countries was held in Maputo, Mozambique from 10-12 June 2024. Organized by UNEP OzonAction’s Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team in Africa in collaboration with Mozambique’s Ministry of Land and Environment, the meeting aimed to provide an interactive forum for NOOs to exchange experiences, develop skills, and share knowledge and ideas with their counterparts from across the region.

Koror, the Republic of Palau, 12 – 14 June 2024 – UNEP’s OzonAction Asia-Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team organized the Thematic Workshop on Finalization of Stage I of the Regional Pacific Island Countries (PICs) Kigali Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Implementation Plan and Other Multilateral Fund Projects.

Santiago, Chile, 31 May 2024 – The launch of the Kigali Amendment Implementation Plan (KIP) was celebrated in Chile from 28 to 30 May 2024.

Paris, France, 13 May 2024 - ASHRAE and UNEP's OzonAction have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to renew and expand their long-standing collaboration on environmental protection and sustainable development in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors. Ginger Scoggins, ASHRAE President, signed the agreement at UNEP's Paris Duty Station during meetings with Jim Curlin, Head of the OzonAction Branch. Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Director of UNEP's Law Division, signed on behalf of UNEP.

Dubai, The United Arab Emirates, 30 April 2024 − The UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team in West Asia hosted its 2024 Network Meeting for National Ozone Officers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on April 24-25, 2024. The event brought together representatives from National Ozone Units across West Asia, alongside key regional and international partners, and experts.

Paris, 9 April 2024 – ASHRAE and UNEP OzonAction are pleased to announce the opening for submissions for the 2024 Lower GWP Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning Innovation Award until the closing date, 15 August 2024.

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.

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

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.

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.