Salutations
•    Mrs. Arlene Williams, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation
•    Dr. Taneisha Ingleton, Managing Director, HEART/NSTA Trust
•    Mr. Anthony McKenzie, NEPA Director Environmental Management and Conservation Division 
•    Mr. Ainsworth Carroll, NEPA Director, Planning, Projects, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research
•    Event chair, Ava Tomlinson, NEPA’s Senior Public Education and Community Outreach Officer

Good morning.

Today, is yet another great day for the global movement to remove ozone harming and depleting substances (ODS) from circulation within the cooling and foam producing industries. Seven Refrigerant Recovery and Reclamation Centers being launched today will not only expand Jamaica’s ODS removal network but accelerate the adoption of ozone friendly substances across trades and sectors that use them the most. 

Jamaica is providing an excellent blueprint for HCFC and HFC removal in conformity with global efforts to close the hole in the ozone layer. UNDP regards these centers as a landmark and innovative response to the requirements of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, the kind we are honoured to support under UNDP’s Phase Out HCFC Management Plan Phase II project financed through the Protocol’s Multilateral Fund. 

NEPA and its Ozone Unit continue to demonstrate exemplary leadership in piloting this project’s HCFC reduction targets through promotion of good refrigeration practices, and the enforcement of the licensing and quota system aimed at reducing HCFC-22 in refrigeration servicing.    

Today, UNDP signals our continuing commitment to NEPA’s mission by approving 70,000 USD in equipment to four entities for the establishment of seven Refrigerant Recovery and Reclamation Centers – that is, four centres at the Heart Trust NTA and one each at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), CAC 2000 Limited and University of Technology (Utech).  

It is clear that these centers can make an invaluable contribution to our global movement to halt an existential crisis. The ozone is a crucial barrier to UV Rays, exposure to which can cause life threatening diseases. The massive multilateral response that followed the discovery of the hole in the ozone in the early 1980s underscores the power of multilateralism in coalescing solutions, resources and networks around our greatest challenges. The Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment, to which Jamaica is a signatory is that global response to a crisis that threatens human existence. 

Thankfully our collective efforts are paying off. Progress reports indicate that the ozone hole is getting smaller and could fully recover by 2066. We should not only celebrate this good news but renew our commitment to responsible production and consumption, SDG 9.  

We are not yet out of the woods. Continued use of ODS and climate-damaging refrigerants found in some cooling equipment has led to the accumulation of large banks globally. Improper servicing and disposal can lead to the release of ozone-depleting and climate-damaging emissions into the atmosphere. This is why these centres are a welcome addition. 

NEPA’s combined efforts through the years is helping reduce demand, contributing to phase-down targets. These centres are likely to generate costs saving, create markets for recycled refrigerants while potentially offering cost-effective solutions for servicing equipment. But there is much more to leverage from this investment.

The equipment can support ongoing training and capacity building, ensuring that technical skills are developed locally. We are further hoping that this will encourage participating institutions to embed sustainable refrigeration practices in the curriculum, ensuring that the ozone supporting ethos is diffused throughout the academic and vocational training community.

This presents a unique opportunity for our partner institutions to offer certified hands-on training programmes for HVAC technicians, engineers, and students to strengthen local expertise and trade in ozone friendly substances. This could potentially establish Jamaica as a training and knowledge-sharing hub for the Caribbean, setting the stage for regional cooperation on ozone layer interventions. Furthermore, these centres will generate sufficient data and observations to inform policy while supporting Jamaica’s environmental reporting obligations.

I urge you to consider these centres as just one step in a process that requires the support of all stakeholders. While the equipment can facilitate the exchange of ODSs and capacity building, we need to do more to encourage widespread adoption of recycling and reclaiming ozone-harming refrigerants. By establishing the right policy environment along with proper logistics, monitoring, enforcement, reporting, and public awareness, we will ensure that Jamaica’s blueprint for Refrigerant Recovery and Reclamation Centers offers the region and the world a best practice that we need and deserve. Thank you and best wishes.