Port Vila, Vanuatu, 15 May 2023 ‒ UNEP’s OzonAction Asia-Pacific Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) team in collaboration with the Government of Vanuatu organized a Network Meeting of the Pacific Island Countries (PIC) National Ozone Officers (NOOs) in Port Vila, Vanuatu (8-9 and 12 May 2023) to facilitate the Network countries to share experiences/good practices in various areas under the Montreal Protocol not only hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) phase-out but hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) phase-down. Back-to-back with the Network Meeting (10-11 May 2023), the NOOs and the refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) industry in the PICs discussed RAC technology options in the region, the importance of good servicing practices in operation of RAC equipment as well as the way forward to collaborate in strengthening implementation of the Montreal Protocol in the servicing sector.
The Network Meeting had both plenary and focused breakout sessions with 36 participants in person (17 female, 19 male) from 14 PICs, Australia, the Multilateral Fund Secretariat (MFS) and UNEP. The meeting was also attended virtually by a representative from New Caledonia as an observer to acquire experience from other PICs in the Montreal Protocol implementation.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Pipat Poopeerasupong, Montreal Protocol Programme Management Officer – Southeast Asia Network and PICs Network said, ‘’13 of the14 countries in this network have ratified the Kigali Amendment and need to freeze HFC consumption from 1 January 2024. Appropriate HFC management strategy will play an important role to guide countries to comply with the 2024 freeze obligation while maintaining their economic growth. Although most countries are preparing themselves to freeze HFCs from 1 January 2024, it is important for the PICs to remind themselves of the need to sustain HCFC Phase-out achievements under the HCFC Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP). UNEP encourages other countries that have not yet ratified the Kigali Amendment to do so to provide a strong and clear signal to global community about the Pacific’s political will in favor of the Ozone2Climate alternatives.”
The Network Meeting provided a platform for participants to update relevant decisions under the Montreal Protocol; discuss modality for data collection under the Kigali HFC Implementation Plan (KIP) that suits contexts of the PICs; share good practices and challenges on implementation of the HPMPs especially certification of technicians; share experiences on establishment of HFC quota based on tonnes CO2 equivalent, brainstorm potential activities for PICs to maintain energy efficiency in the servicing sector when introducing alternatives to HCFCs with low or zero GWP (decision 89/6); implementation of the Institutional Strengthening projects based on increased funding level to holistically institutionalize capacity of the PIC National Ozone Units as well as identify support needed from UNEP CAP, where the south-south cooperation has played a vital role in this region.
“The Network Meeting had significant time allocated for breakout sessions with smaller numbers of participants, which gave opportunity for each country to share experiences and perspectives and discuss its own context. Experiences from Australia and other PICs as well as perspectives from UNEP and the Multilateral Fund Secretariat enabled us to have better pictures on various issues in the agenda. We thank UNEP for this initiative, which made the meeting more impactful to us,” said Ms. Moeli Homasi, Tuvalu’s NOO.
Back-to-back with the Network Meeting, UNEP, and the Government of Vanuatu in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of Government of Australia and the Air-conditioning and Refrigerant Equipment Manufacturers Association of Australia (AREMA) jointly organized a RAC Industry Roundtable and Future Gas Forum (10 May 2023), and a Thematic Workshop on Strengthening Partnership in the RAC Servicing Sector (11 May 2023). Both events had both plenary and breakout sessions with a total of 46 participants in person (19 female, 27 male) from 14 PICs, Australia, MFS and Australia Industry. 
The Industry Roundtable and Future Gas Forum discussed available ozone- and climate-technologies; follow-up on train-the-trainers workshop for RAC trainers in December 2022 and identification of countries’ needs; emission of split-type air-conditioner over their lifespan; challenges for the PIC in adopting Ozone2Climate technologies as well as the benefits of maintenance on heating, ventilation, cooling and heating equipment etc. The Thematic Workshop allowed participants to share and gain experience from Australia and other PICs on benefits, sustaining operation industry association, how the RAC Association could support implementation of the Montreal Protocol activities in the region, and fostering cooperation and partnership between NOUs and RAC Associations.
“Having a unified Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Association voice to bring up policy and technical problems is crucial in bridging the gap between the government and the sector. New technologies using flammable refrigerants have raised concerns about worker safety, and the RAC Association will help the government make informed decisions about which technologies are safe to adopt,” said Mr. Ajesh Goundar, President of Fiji RAC Association (Western Division).
The UNEP CAP team and the PIC Network countries expressed their gratitude to the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation for their hospitality and the Government of Australia, AREMA and Australian Industries for their collaboration at the meetings.
The meetings were organized by UNEP OzonAction CAP, Asia and the Pacific Office as part of its approved 2023 Work Programme under the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
For more information:
Mr. Pipat Poopeerasupong
Montreal Protocol Programme Management Officer – Southeast Asia/Pacific Island Countries Network
UNEP CAP, Asia and Pacific Office
Email: poopeerasupong[@]un.org
