Australia further supports its Pacific neighbours in phasing out remaining HCFCs

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 Management Plan (HPMP) Stage II, which is supported by Australia as a bilateral agency in the framework of the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund. The NOOs from Fiji and Papua New Guinea, which are implementing their respective HPMPs independently, also joined the meeting to share experiences.

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol that are scheduled to be phased out worldwide by 2030. They are commonly used as refrigerant gases in air conditioning and refrigeration appliances, amongst other applications. Their emission to the atmosphere contributes to both the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer and climate change. All developing countries are actively engaged to phase them out in compliance with their international obligations under the Protocol.

8241The 23 participants (14 women and nine men) discussed a holistic workplan to enhance and sustain the capacity of the refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) servicing sector to follow good servicing practices with options of supporting RAC associations, strengthening RAC training centres/trainers and implementing national competency-certification schemes. The workplan is to be delivered by AREMA, which has extensive experience working with the RAC sector industry not only in Australia but also with the PIC countries, in close collaboration with UNEP and the Government of Australia. The PIC countries expressed their appreciation for Australia’s support.

Ms. Roselyn Bue, Senior Chemical and Ozone Officer, Vanuatu, said, “Vanuatu needs assistance in the formation of the Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Association that would assist the government in making good decisions in the adoption of new technology. We are happy that AREMA will be helping us on how to address these challenges.”

Ms. Annie Gabriel, the representative of the Government of Australia, added that “The Government of Australia is very pleased to be part of the Regional PIC HPMP Stage II after working alongside the Pacific countries since the implementation of Stage I. I encourage countries to engage with AREMA, who is looking to bring innovative ideas to the work, and to be active in identifying country-specific activities so that Australia can best assist PIC countries to phase down the remaining HCFCs.”

In response to the positive statements on collaborating with AREMA, Mr. Mark Padwick, the President of AREMA said, “AREMA is very pleased to be part of the partnership and is looking forward to working with our Pacific neighbours to share experiences and technical support in the implementation of HPMP Stage II.”

Mr. Shaofeng Hu, Senior Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator, UNEP CAP, Asia and Pacific Office, warmly acknowledged the partnership of Australia and AREMA and said, “The Government of Australia has a long-standing history in assisting the Pacific Island Countries in the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. UNEP CAP is very encouraged by the renewed commitment of Australia to the Regional PIC HPMP implementation. We also look forward to the new partnership established with AREMA that will bring a wider array of technical assistance to the Pacific countries.”

This virtual meeting is part of the regional OzonAction CAP workplan for 2022 to support countries in meeting and sustaining their Montreal Protocol commitments.