LocationsRemarks by Mr James George at the Coordination Meeting for the Implementation of HCFCs Phase-out Management Plans and Kigali Amendment
September 17, 2025
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in China, James George, delivered a speech at the Coordination Meeting for the Implementation of HCFCs Phase-out Management Plans and Kigali Amendment, hosted by the Ministry of Ecology & Environment
Dear Ms. Yang Qian, Ms. Tina, and Director-General Li,
Good morning, everyone!
It is a great honour to gather here with all of you at this important inter-agency meeting.
The timing and significance of this meeting is very important, as we:
- Focus on the current state of implementation across sectors, technological challenges, policy needs and reforms
- Engage in in-depth discussions on the national pathway for implementing the Kigali Amendment and contributing to the dual carbon goals of China
- Lay a strong foundation for the development priorities of the 15th Five Year Plan.
On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as one of the leading international agencies for the ICR, solvent sectors, and overarching program coordination, I would like to express our highest appreciation for the leadership and continuous contributions China has demonstrated in the implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
Over the years, China has not only excelled in domestic compliance actions but has also actively promoted the lessons learned and best practices from its innovation and adoption of green and low-carbon technological pathways on the global stage.
Ladies and gentlemen and dear friends,
Globally, we are collectively facing multiple challenges in this new phase-out situation.
In the ICR sector, key issues such as the selection of alternative technologies for high-GWP refrigerants, cost-effective approaches to address bottlenecks, market acceptance, and the improvement of service and training systems remain critical and require breakthrough solutions. There are also specific issues that we will raise for discussion in detail later.
In the solvent sector, particularly in electronics manufacturing and disposable medical sub-sector, while we have seen progress, there remains room to establish more comprehensive technical standards and regulatory systems.
Here, I would like to especially highlight a major breakthrough we have achieved in the solvent sector—according to the phase-out timetable, this sector will complete the full phase-out of all remaining ozone-depleting substances in 2026 and officially issue a relevant ban.
This achievement is of notable significance, as it not only marks as a sector achieving a closed loop in compliance but will also provide strong impetus for global ozone layer protection and climate action.
On behalf of UNDP, I wish to express our high recognition to the project team of FECO and all cooperating associations, experts, and enterprise colleagues for their outstanding work.
Your professionalism, persistence, and efficient collaboration have been central to this success.
Of course, we must also recognize that the issuance of the phase-out ban is not the end point, but rather the beginning of a new chapter and also challenges.
In the "post-ban era," the focus of compliance work will need to shift to continuous public awareness, industry education, and capacity building.
We must ensure that relevant policies and regulations are widely known and deeply understood, promote green alternative technologies as the conscious choice of the industry, and strengthen supervision to prevent any form of illegal production and use.
"Of course, we must also recognize that the issuance of the ODS phase-out ban is not the end point, but rather the beginning of a new chapter and also challenges."
At the same time, the implementation of the Kigali Amendment has also charted a new direction for us – the phase-down of HFCs is no longer just an ozone layer protection issue but also a critical measure in the global response to climate change.
On this front, on behalf of UNDP, I would like to reiterate our continued commitment to deepen cooperation with the Chinese government and relevant institutions – notably in the following three areas:
- Promoting Low-Carbon Technological Transformation in Industries - A systematic approach centred on energy efficiency management and adopting natural refrigerants is key. This effort should be guided by circular economy principles to minimise environmental impact throughout a product lifecycle management approach.
- Continued efforts to enhance capacity building and multilateral technology and knowledge exchange with other developing countries. Codifying the lessons learned and innovations including evidence-based results that demonstrate the return on investments from socio-economic dividends are the key data points that helps other countries to also consider similar actions.
- For stage III and Kigali future work Plan, UNDP is committed to fully support China's compliance efforts notably through actions in the areas of HCFCS and HFCs phase-out projects in China.
Ladies and gentlemen, one key lesson that all of us seated in this room are aware of, from years of working on this agenda and strongly agree is that collective strong partnerships and cooperation is critical as the compliance work is a systematic effort that requires close collaboration among policymakers, industry implementers, research institutions, local communities and stakeholders as well as international partners.
We look forward to working with our Chinese colleagues to explore innovations in institutions, technologies, and cooperation models, and continuing to achieve ozone layer protection and climate action.
Thank you.
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