Accident prevention and emergency preparedness are key to overcoming the fears and barriers to the widespread introduction of alternatives to gases that are harmful to the ozone layer in developing economies, participants heard at the annual meeting of the Regional Ozone Network for Europe & Central Asia (ECA network).

Accidents happen mainly because of lack of training, poor design or irresponsible company management for example, international experts pointed out at the meeting, which was held in Yerevan, Armenia on 26-28 May 2015.

Under the Montreal Protocol which UNEP helped secure a global consensus for, 98% of ozone-depleting substances have been phased-out worldwide. Thanks to one of world’s most successful environmental treaties, the ozone layer is expected to recover to 1980 benchmark levels- the time before significant ozone layer depletion- before the middle of the century in mid-latitudes and the Arctic.

On alternatives to ozone-damaging gases, legislation, standards and codes of good practices should not be questioned on the basis of accidents that happened because people ignored them, participants heard at the ECA network event.

As a result, priority should be given to appropriate training, the enforcement of relevant legislation, standards and codes of good practices, the safe design of refrigeration and air-conditioning systems as well as the promotion of a general safety culture, said experts. Safety should be part of the company policy from the top to the bottom and remain a management priority. Accident prevention and emergency preparedness are thus a matter of system design, training and rigorous application of good practices rather than refrigerant choice.

The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia and UNEP’s OzonAction Programme in cooperation with UNDP Armenia. It was opened by His Excellency Mr. Aramayis Grigorian, Minister of Nature Protection of Armenia and Mr. Bradley Busetto, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia. The 65 meeting participants included National Ozone Officers and refrigeration and air-conditioning experts from some 20 countries from Europe & Central Asia - including CEIT countries – as well as representatives from the secretariats, implementing agencies, international organizations, academia, private sector and bilateral partners.

Over 97% of the participants rated the event as excellent or good. The media briefing for the event can be read here, while the meeting documents are available from the ECA website here. Specific presentations can be provided upon request.

For more information: Halvart Koeppen, UNEP Programme Officer halvart.koppen@unep.org