The Ministry of Environment establishes cooperation with UNIDO to protect the ozone layer

The Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Serhiy Vlasenko, discussed potential areas of cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Senior Coordinator for Ukraine, Stefan Sikars.

Specifically, they discussed the importance for Ukraine of ratifying the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The document provides for a gradual reduction of the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which have a significant impact on the climate.

With the ratification of the amendment, Ukraine will assume new international obligations in the field of environmental protection and will have access to the resources of the Global Environment Facility to implement relevant measures.

Therefore, the following potential areas of cooperation were discussed during the meeting:

• development of technical assistance projects for Ukraine to fulfil its obligations under the Kigali Amendment;
• inventory and modernisation of equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases with high global warming potential;
• the possibility of cooperation for Ukraine’s access to the Global Environment Facility.

As a reminder, UNIDO is already implementing a number of technical assistance projects in Ukraine, including those in the environmental sector. These include the project ‘Environmentally Sound Management and Final Disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Ukraine’ and the Green Industrial Recovery Programme for Ukraine for 2024-2028. The programme, among other things, envisages the introduction of resource-efficient and cleaner production and energy efficiency in the industry to facilitate Ukraine’s transition to a circular economy, strengthening industrial waste management, including hazardous waste; expanding the use of low-carbon, environmentally friendly and clean energy solutions, etc.