The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) convened a meeting of African ozone officers from 11-13 June in Kigali, Rwanda, to build capacity in safe refrigeration and air-conditioning practices to increase ozone and climate co-benefits.
The workshop provided training to technicians in the field of refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC), with the aim of ensuring a safe handling and servicing of RAC equipment as part of the move towards alternatives to hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs).
15 June 2014: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) convened a meeting of African ozone officers from 11-13 June, in Kigali, Rwanda, to build capacity in safe refrigeration and air-conditioning practices to increase ozone and climate co-benefits. The workshop provided training to technicians in the field of refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC), with the aim of ensuring safe handling and servicing of RAC equipment as part of the move towards alternatives to hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs).
UNEP convened the workshop in the lead up to the 1 January 2015 target, agreed under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, to meet a ten percent step down from the freeze level of HCFCs phase-out set by the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances.
The workshop focused on the establishment and operation of certification schemes and RAC associations. According to OzoNews, such associations provide a way of ensuring that both formal and informal business operations are certified and follow agreed international standards.
UNEP organized the meeting in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, with the support of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol Secretariat. [OzoNews, 15 June 2014] [Government of Rwanda Press Release]