Highlights and images for 10 July 2017

Thailand

Summary


Montreal Protocol 30th Anniversary and International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
The one-day Workshop on Safety Standards Relevant to the Safe Use of Low Global Warming Potential (GWP) Alternatives to Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) convened on Monday, 10 July 2017, at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand. The Workshop was mandated by the 28th Meeting of the Parties (MOP 28) to the Montreal Protocol, held in Kigali, Rwanda, in October 2016. Its conclusions will be presented to the 39th Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG 39), which will meet in Bangkok after the workshop from 11-14 July 2017, for further consideration and discussion by the parties.

Workshop participants were welcomed by Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat, who outlined the fundamental questions to be addressed by the workshop.

The workshop was divided into four sessions: an overview of the international safety standards of greatest importance to the Protocol and its Kigali Amendment and the process for developing and revising the standards; identifying limitations to the uptake of lower GWP alternatives that could be addressed with changes to existing international safety standards; the relationship between international and national safety standards; and how stakeholders can work together to maximize the opportunities for the safe use of lower GWP alternatives.

At the end of the workshop, the rapporteurs for each session summarized key messages from their respective session. The set of key messages will be forwarded to OEWG 39 for its consideration.

IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily digital coverage and a summary and analysis report from the Workshop on the Safety Standards Relevant to the Safe Use of Low-GWP Alternatives to HFCs and OEWG 39. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu
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Safety Standards Workshop: Morning Session

Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat

Kolin Low, International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)

Session I Facilitator Chandra Bhushan, Centre for Science and Environment, India

Neil Dennis, AECOM, Australia

Jay Kohler, Johnson Controls, US

Andrea Voigt, European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE)

Marek Zgiczynski, Embraco, Italy

View of the dais

Jitendra Bhambure, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Manufacturers Association (RAMA), India

Asbjørn Vonsild, Vonsild Consulting, Denmark

Yaqoub Al-Matouq, Kuwait

Daniel Henry Colbourne, Suscool Limited, UK

View of the dais

Karim Amrane, Air-Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), US

Torben Funder-Kristensen, Danfoss, Denmark

James Wolf, Ingersoll Rand, US

Abhijit Acharekar, Godrej, India

Ting-Xun Li, Sun Yat-sen University, China

Omar Abdelaziz, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US

Iftikhar-ul-Hassan Gilani, Pakistan

Facilitator Stephan Sicars, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Safety Standards Workshop: Afternoon Session

Yan-Wei Dou, China Household Electrical Appliances Association (CHEAA)

Aroon Eamsureya, Federation of Thai Industries, Thailand

Alaa Olama, Olama Consultants, Egypt

Tomaz Cleto, Yawatz Engenharia Ltda, Brazil

Taha Mohammed Zatari, Saudi Arabia

View of dais

Kevin Fay, Executive Director, Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy

Gabriela Ehrlich, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Karsten Beermann, IKKE, Germany

Tetsuji Okada, Japan Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry Association (JRAIA)

Miruza Mohamed, Maldives

Jayantha Sirikumara, Sri Lanka

Mohammad Khalid Siddiq, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority

Around the Venue