20 March 2013: The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) hosted a discussion of the successes and challenges involved with implementing Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) Phase out Management Plans under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

The meeting convened the English speaking Caribbean and Haiti Ozone Officers Regional Network Meeting in Basseterre, St. Kitts from 18-20 March. According to UNEP, the meeting also focused on: certification and licensing of refrigeration and air conditioning technicians; development of a University of the West Indies course on the Management of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS); classification of ODS; refrigerants and risk management; and the destruction of unwanted ODS. Representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago attended the meeting.

Following the meeting, a national training of refrigeration and air conditioning technicians on ODS alternatives convened, from 20-21 March 2013. [UNEP Press Release]