Beirut, 2 October 2026 – The Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Lebanon today recognized 15 top-performing technicians from among approximately 700 technicians and students who have benefited from training and capacity-building programmes in Lebanon’s refrigeration and air-conditioning sector. 

The 15 technicians completed specialized training in the digital monitoring of refrigeration systems and facilities, as part of efforts to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and promote more sustainable cooling practices. 

The training and capacity-building programmes combine technical expertise with digital tools and data to help sector professionals improve the performance of cooling systems, reduce energy consumption and emissions, and contribute to ozone layer protection and climate action. 

Minister of Environment Dr. Tamara Elzein said: “Improving the efficiency of refrigeration and air-conditioning systems is an important component of national priorities, given its environmental and economic implications and its direct impact on reducing electricity consumption, costs and emissions.” She noted that “the sector accounts for approximately 26% of Lebanon’s total reported electricity demand.” 

She added that “investment in modern technologies and national skills in this sector is no longer merely a technical matter, but part of addressing energy and environmental challenges and protecting the ozone layer, particularly as the need for cooling increases due to climate change.” 

UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon a.i., Mr. Thair Shraideh, said: “The value of digital solutions lies not in the technology itself, but in the results they help achieve. Success is not measured by the number of sensors installed, but by the energy we save, the emissions we avoid, the costs we reduce, and our ability to scale effective solutions. Through our partnership with the Ministry of Environment and the National Ozone Unit, we are investing in national skills that can turn these tools into practical results.” 

This approach is being put into practice through a pilot application of digital monitoring solutions at Happy Supermarket in Beirut. The pilot aims to assess their effectiveness and measure their impact on energy consumption, emissions and costs, while generating evidence to inform the potential scale-up of effective solutions to other facilities. 

The Ministry of Environment and UNDP expressed their appreciation to the National Ozone Unit, trainers, vocational education and training institutions and schools, and all partners contributing to these efforts. 

The training and pilot application are part of a joint initiative by the Ministry of Environment and UNDP to promote more efficient digital solutions in Lebanon’s refrigeration and cold chain sector. The initiative contributes to reducing energy consumption and emissions and supports Lebanon’s commitments to ozone layer protection and climate action, including its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment.