Kuwait City, 29 September 2026 – Kuwait and Bahrain are taking steps to reduce the use of gases found in air conditioning and refrigeration that contribute to global warming, as it begins preparing its national plan under the Kigali Amendment.

Both countries ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in 2024. The agreement calls on countries to gradually reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. These gases are commonly used in air conditioning and refrigeration and can have a significant impact on the climate.

The next step is to develop a national plan setting out how Kuwait will meet its commitments under the Amendment. The plan will look at how HFCs are imported and used across different sectors, the systems already in place to manage them, and the policies, technical support and investments that may be needed over time. 

As part of this process, the National Ozone Units of Kuwait and Bahrain, UNDP teams and technical experts came together in Kuwait to begin preparing the plans. Discussions focused on available information on HFC use, the data that still needs to be collected, and the technical work needed to identify priorities and next steps.

The process will also consider alternatives for air conditioning and refrigeration that have a lower impact on the climate, alongside opportunities to improve energy efficiency. This will help both countries identify practical options and challenges as they develop their respective approaches to reducing HFC use.

UNDP is supporting both countries in preparing their plans, drawing on its work under the Montreal Protocol to provide technical support and help bring together the information needed to guide each national process.

The next phase will focus on gathering and reviewing national data, consulting the sectors involved, and identifying the policies, technical measures and investments that could form part of each country’s plan.