Centro Studi Galileo and Associazione Tecnici del Freddo (ATF) will take part in the 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol with a dedicated side event focusing on one of the key elements of the global transition towards sustainable cooling: the development of a skilled and properly certified RACHP workforce.
The event, entitled “Certification and Training Across Continents: Progress and Future Scenarios on the 10th Anniversary of the Kigali Amendment”, will take place on Thursday, 5 November 2026, from 13:00 to 15:00 CAT in Kigali, Room AD:12-B.
The initiative comes exactly ten years after the adoption of the Kigali Amendment, which established a global pathway for the progressive phase-down of HFCs and the transition towards lower-GWP and more sustainable cooling technologies.
As new generations of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment enter the market, the availability of technicians able to install, service, maintain and decommission systems safely is becoming increasingly important for the effective implementation of the Amendment.
The side event will therefore look back at the progress made over the last decade in training and certification, while also examining the approaches that will be needed to prepare the technical workforce for the next phase of the transition.
A central element of the discussion will be the exchange of experiences between international organisations, national authorities and training institutions, with examples of initiatives that have already delivered results and could potentially be replicated in other regions.
The event will offer a global perspective on how certification schemes, technical training and international cooperation can support the transition towards low-GWP refrigerants while maintaining high standards of safety, competence and system performance.
Speakers:
- Yosr Allouche invited tbc — International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) — welcome and International Perspective
- Marco Buoni — Italian Association of Refrigeration Technicians (ATF) — Europe / European Certification
- Baolong Wang — Tsinghua University, China — China / Chinese Experience
- Basile Seburikoko tbc — U-3ARC — Africa / African Experience
- Mark Miller — MOPIA, Canada — Canada / North American Examples
Further details on the speakers and programme will be announced shortly.