In the margins of the MOP31 that took place last week, AREA and UNEP officialised the deepening of their cooperation with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding. Whereas AREA and UNEP are already working together on various topics, and in particular competence, the signature of the MoU illustrates the commitment that both organisations are taking.
For many years, AREA has been a close partner of UNEP. Whereas Europe has the highest level of requirements in terms of RACHP installers' competence, AREA is keen to share its renown expertise. The cooperation with UNEP has materialised in various fora and events, such as the ECA Network (Regional Ozone Network for Europe & Central Asia).
More recently, AREA worked on a Universal Training Kit, which the two organisations launched in Rome on 6 November. is designed as a modular training programme that is adaptable to accommodate different types of courses delivered by training institutes and centres in developing countries. The kit covers all aspects of sound and safe management of refrigerants including dealing with conventional and flammable refrigerants. The tool will allow training centres to design and build training courses with the preferred length, content and target audience. A dedicated portal is designed to assist users to build their preferred courses.
As UNEP is fostering ties with key industry stakeholders and experts from the HVAC&R community, AREA will continue to help achieve the objective of providing state-of-the-art support and services to developing countries within the context of meeting commitments of the Montreal Protocol.