Riyadh, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 24 March 2023 — UNEP OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), West Asia, in consultation and close cooperation with the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the GCC Standardization Organization (GCCSO), organized a two-day thematic technical meeting on 12-13 March 2023 at the headquarters of the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh, KSA. The meeting brought together representatives of National Ozone Units and standardization authorities in GCC countries to discuss and adopt a draft roadmap for GCC countries to develop/update the national and regional standards for the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump (RACHP) sector as required under the Montreal Protocol and its amendments and in line with international standards, with the aim of facilitating the introduction of low and medium-Global warming potential (GWP) technologies into the market, and promote safe handling of flammable and higher toxicity alternatives.
In addition to representatives of National Ozone Units and standardization authorities in GCC countries, meeting attendees included representatives from the Ozone Secretariat, the Multilateral Fund Secretariat for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (MLF), the GCC Secretariat, and the GCC Standardization Organization (GCCSO).
During the meeting, an analysis was conducted by UNEP CAP in West Asia for the RACHP standards, as provided by national standards authorities in GCC and the GCCSO. Also presented and discussed was the draft roadmap prepared by UNEP CAP to update the national and regional standards of RACHP in the GCC countries according to the requirements of the Kigali Amendment. The national and regional needs of GCC countries to prepare and update the RACHP specifications and standards were also reviewed and identified.
The meeting ended with a set of recommendations on the way forward to finalize, adopt, and implement the proposed roadmap, and also to conduct additional analysis of the related supplementary standards and the linkages with their applicable national regulations and enforcement. It was also recommended to establish a technical team under the GSO to oversee the implementation of the roadmap.
It is important to note that this meeting comes as a second step, following a first thematic technical meeting held in Dubai, UAE in September 2022, on the road to develop and update standards and technical regulations for West Asia countries in line with the Montreal Protocol and its amendments.
For further information :
Khaled Klaly, Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator,
UNEP, OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) West Asia
Email: Khaled.klaly@un.org
