AREA Attends UNEP Inter-Regional Thematic Meeting

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Economy Division OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) organized the first Inter-Regional Thematic Technical Workshops and Regional Network Meetings for all National Ozone Officers on January 15 to 19, 2018 in Paris, France. The National Ozone Officers Network meetings are a flagship activity of the UNEP OzonAction CAP and are part of the agreed work program of the CAP under the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol. For the first time, this meeting brought together National Ozone Officers of 147 developing countries, as well as the Multilateral Fund Secretariat, the Ozone Secretariat, Implementing Agencies, and international technical and policy experts. The meeting took place in the context of the ongoing hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) and the ambitious Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which commits parties to significantly reduce consumption and production of HFCs.
 
In the session ‘Post Kigali Technical Challenges; Regional View’ dedicated to the special needs of West Asian countries, Vice -president International Affairs AREA Marco Buoni took the floor and spoke about the prospects of the air conditioning sector and considerations concerning the refrigeration sector. During the fifth session devoted to the ‘Refrigeration Servicing Sector’, Madi Sakandé, expert Centro Studi Glileo (CSG) trainer and room air conditioner (RAC) entrepreneur, presented key actions to be undertaken by African countries in order to fulfil the requirements.