EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
A roadmap for South Africa’s
HFC phase-down
By Ilana Koegelenberg
The ‘Consultative Legislative Workshop on the Kigali Amendment Towards HFC Phase-Down’ took place
in Johannesburg from 25-26 June, gathering stakeholders to brainstorm a way forward for this country’s
impending phase-down.
T
he meeting took place directly
after concluding the quarterly
HCFC stakeholder meeting in
the same venue at the Birchwood
Hotel, Johannesburg. A few extra role-
players joined but for the most part, the
participants remained the same.
BACKGROUND
The United Nations Industrial
Development Organisation (UNIDO)
has positioned itself as a key player in
the international efforts to phase-down
HFCs and as such, has been assisting
countries such as South Africa (which
is in the process of ratifying the Kigali
Amendment) with this objective.
As such, the National Ozone Unit
(NOU) of the Department of Environment,
Forestry, and Fisheries (DEFF) in
The Montreal Protocol that deals with
substances that deplete the ozone layer
was amended during the 28th Meeting
of the Parties in Kigali, Rwanda in
October 2016. The amendment included
amongst its new objectives, the phase-
down of HFCs, powerful greenhouse
gases that can have an impact on
climate change.
Under the Kigali Amendment, countries
are committed to cut the production and
consumption of HFCs by more than 80%
over the next 30 years.
Industry and government from around the world coming together to map out South Africa’s HFC phase-down.
20
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
cooperation with the United Nations
Industrial Development Organisation
(UNIDO) organised this two-day legislative,
consultative workshop on the Kigali
Amendment, which forms part of the
enabling activities for the HFC phase-
down in South Africa.
One of the aims of the enabling
activities project is to strengthen the
institutional capacities and further enhance
the coordination mechanisms at DEFF
to provide guidance on the policies
and action plans for ratification and
implementation of the Kigali amendment.
This important step will enable DEFF to liaise
with the national institutions involved in the
ratification process of the Kigali Amendment
to ensure that information and continual
support is delivered to the relevant decision
makers, industry representatives, and other
stakeholder groups.
The intention of the workshop
was to provide an overview of the
Kigali Amendment, the provisions
and obligations arising from it, and
to elaborate with the workshop
participants regarding modalities of
effective implementation in South
Africa. As our parliament has already
signed and approved the Kigali
Amendment, South Africa is simply
COLD LINK AFRICA •
SEPTEMBER 2019