News

Damascus, Syria, 27 October 2020 ‒ Despite the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Syrian Arabic Republic continues to honour its commitments under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and is preparing itself for the next phase of this multilateral environmental agreement: the phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are widely used in refrigeration, air conditioning and foam manufacturing.

5 May 2020, Doha, Qatar – The COVID-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on the world, what UN Secretary General  António Guterres calls "a public health emergency… an economic crisis, a social crisis and a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis." While the world is grappling with this multifaceted challenge, most of humanity is now experiencing the “Great Lockdown” where in-person gatherings have been replaced by social distancing to protect public health.

6 January 2020, Muscat  ̶  Refrigeration and air conditioning is at the heart of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

30 December 2019, Muscat  ̶  Illegal trade in substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), undermines national commitments under this international environmental agreement. It also violates national laws, deprives the government of rightful income, and supports other forms of illegal activity. Customs officials worldwide, including those in Oman, are highly committed to protecting their borders by fighting this illicit chemical trade.

In late November and mid-December 2019, both the Maldives and Sri Lanka, in cooperation with UNEP OzonAction and the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigerating Institute (AHRI), advanced the Refrigerant Driving License (RDL) program by conducting technicians training sessions under the pilot stage of the RDL program targeting 31 local technicians who were trained and tested against RDL minimum requirements of competencies and skills.

ATLANTA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 16 January 2019 — In the margins of the ASHRAE Winter Conference and in the presence of members of the ASHRAE Associate Societies Alliance (AASA) representing more than sixty international refrigeration and air-conditioning engineering associations from all continents, ASHRAE and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction launched their sixth biennial joint workplan under the theme “Refrigerant Management for Developing Economies.”

West Asian polyurethane foam manufacturers met here at a United Nations forum to review their preparedness for switching to climate-friendly technologies following the historic October 2016 global agreement to phase down the powerful greenhouse gases that are also used in the industry.