News

Panama City, Panama, 30 March 2023 — The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme, Latin America and the Caribbean, in cooperation with the Government of Panama hosted the English-Speaking Caribbean and Haiti Thematic Network Meeting for National Ozone Officers (NOOs), in Panama City, from 23 - 24 March 2023.  This was the first in-person meeting held following a 2-year series of virtual meetings owing to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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.

Cairo, Egypt, 19 January 2023 ‒ There is a growing need for females to join the ranks of air- conditioning and refrigeration (RAC) technicians. A training workshop recently organized by the Government of Egypt and the United Nations OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) better prepared women for advancement in the field and revealed the unique challenges women face.

The following story from Zambia is an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY YOLANDA DEMBEDZA It is not always easy or even possible for a woman to choose a career in a male-dominated weld. One thing I have learnt is never to underestimate yourself; you can be who you want to be as long as you stay positive because the sky is the limit.

The following stories from Zambia are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."  

The following stories from Vanuatu are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."  

Colleen Keyworth was appointed President for the year 2023 with Dr. Ina Colombo-Youla as President-Elect to serve the following year.   Paris, 30 November 2022 – Formed this year, the International Network for Women in Cooling (INWIC) has appointed its first President and President-Elect. Colleen Keyworth was voted in by the board as President to serve as of 1 January 2023 with Dr. Ina Colombo-Youla as President-Elect to succeed her in 2024.

Coral Coast, Fiji, 3 November 2022 – National Ozone Officers from the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) met in Fiji for their Network Meeting from 10-12 October 2022 to prepare countries to meet the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) freeze from 1 January 2024, while sustaining hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) phase-out.  Back-to-back with this meeting was the training workshop of new National Ozone Unit (NOU) staff held from 13 - 14 October 2022. The purpose of this workshop was to strengthen the capacity of NOU staff to implement the Montreal Protocol.

Chiang Mai, Thailand, 6 October 2022 ‒ National Ozone Officers (NOOs) in the South-Asia (SA) and Southeast Asia (SEA) Networks met from 3-5 October 2022 in Chiang Mai, Thailand to do some forward thinking about the sustainability of Montreal Protocol implementation.

The following stories from the United States of America are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."  

Paris, 28 October 2022 – ASHRAE and UNEP OzonAction are pleased to announce the opening for submissions for the 2022 Lower GWP Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning Innovation Award until the closing date, 31 December 2022.

The following stories from the United Kingdom are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY HAYLEY ANN BILLSON

1 August 2022, Chongqing, China ‒ The 11th Ozone2Climate (O2C) Technology Roadshow and Industry Roundtable was jointly organized by the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China(FECO/MEE) and the China Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry Association (CRAA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as part of the 33rd International Exhibition for Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, Heating and Ventilation, Frozen Food Processing, Packaging and Storage (CRH 2022), one

Beirut, Lebanon, 15 July 2022 ‒ The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), West Asia Office, in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization  (UNIDO) and the National Ozone Unit (NOU) of the Syrian Arab Republic, organized a successful two-day workshop from 23-24 June 2022 in Beirut, Lebanon, for the manufacturing sector of Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning (RAC) and thermal insulations in Syria on alternative technologies and data verification for the investment components of the HCFC Phase-out Managemen

The following stories from Togo and United Arab Emirates are an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY AGBAVOR YAWA MAWULI, TOGO In 2004 I enrolled at the CRETFP (regional centre for technical education and vocational training) to receive training in refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) and two years later obtained my qualification.

BANGKOK, 13 July – UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction organized a side event on “Women in Cooling – Challenges and Opportunities” on 11 July during the forty-fourth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

Paris, 13 June 2022 – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), OzonAction, and the U-3ARC (Union of Associations of African Actors in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning) agreed to collaborate toward expanding and advancing technological awareness and best servicing practices in Africa’s refrigeration servicing sector.  

Bangkok, Thailand, 16 May 2022 ‒ Forty-seven participants (male 27, female 20) from National Ozone Units (NOUs) and Customs authorities of countries in the Southeast Asia (SEA) Network gathered virtually on 10 May for a thematic meeting on the Adoption and Implementation of ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature 2022 (AHTN2022) for HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) to enhance monitoring, reporting, verification and enforcement (MRVE) of national HFC licensing systems.    

Bangkok, Thailand, 13 May 2022 ‒ National Ozone Officers (NOOs) from the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) – Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu – as well as representatives from the Government of Australia, the Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association (AREMA) of Australia, and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), came together virtually on 4 May 2022 to address the implementation of the Regional HCFC Phase-out Mana

The following stories from Switerland is an extract from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY DOLAANA KHOVALYG

Paris, 12 May 2022 ‒ To celebrate World Refrigeration Day, June 26, UNEP OzonAction, the Secretariat of Word Refrigeration Day (WRD), Chefs4thePlanet, and the

Paris, 11 April 2022 – The cooling sector delivers a tremendous number of benefits ranging from public health to food security to productive and comfortable workplaces and homes. It is a truly vital, dynamic, and rapidly growing field that represents a significant source of high-quality employment worldwide.

The following stories from Sri Lanka and Togo are extracts from the booklet 'Women in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry."   STORY BY PATHMI DAYARATHNE, SRI LANKA I am Ms Pathmi Priyangani Dayarathne, employed by the Ceylon German Technical Training Institute (CGTTI) as a training instructor in refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC).