UNDP secures US$21.7 million from the Multilateral Fund to support Brazil’s climate-friendly cooling transition

July 1, 2026

Sunset over Guanabara Bay in Rio; Sugarloaf Mountain, boats, and city skyline.

New York – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) welcomes the approval of the first stage of Brazil’s Kigali Implementation Plan (KIP) by the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (MLF), marking an important step in the country’s transition to more climate-friendly and energy-efficient cooling.

The approved funding includes a total of US$21.7 million for the first stage of Brazil’s Kigali Implementation Plan (KIP), which will support the country in reducing hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) consumption to 12 per cent below its baseline by 2032, in line with its commitments under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Of this figure, the first tranche of US$6.51 million will be released in 2026.

Through this initiative, UNDP will support the implementation of a sectoral plan to convert commercial refrigeration manufacturers to climate-friendly refrigerants with lower global warming impacts, while also promoting improvements in the energy efficiency of refrigeration equipment. In addition, UNDP will launch a capacity-building programme for the mobile air-conditioning sector and implement demonstration projects aimed at reducing refrigerant leakages and accelerating the adoption of more energy-efficient alternative technologies in the commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning sectors.

Therefore, this project, which will be implemented by UNDP, will help accelerate the adoption of low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, strengthen the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector, and build technical capacity across the country through training and sector-wide support.

In addition, US$86,670 was approved for preparatory assistance for an energy efficiency project in Brazil’s refrigeration and air-conditioning sector. Over the next 12 months, this support will help identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency while transitioning to climate-friendly cooling technologies.

Together, the approvals reinforce Brazil’s efforts to align ozone protection and climate action, while supporting a more sustainable and resilient cooling sector.

UNDP has been a longstanding partner of Brazil in implementing the Montreal Protocol, working alongside the United Kingdom, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and UNIDO to support the country’s efforts to phase out ozone-depleting substances and advance the adoption of climate-friendly alternatives.

The Brazil approvals form part of a broader package endorsed at the 98th Meeting of the Executive Committee, where 39 UNDP-supported projects across 31 countries were approved, representing US$56 million in grant financing and US$82 million approved in principle.

Through its Multilateral Fund portfolio, UNDP has now mobilized more than US$1 billion in grant financing to support countries in advancing ozone protection, climate action and sustainable cooling transitions.