Statement given by Didier Coulomb, Director General of the IIR, during MOP 35

Distinguished delegates,

 

The refrigeration sector, which includes the cold chain for food and health products, air conditioning, cryogenics and heat pumps, is now recognised within the United Nations as a development priority for its benefits to human life, and an environmental priority for its impact on climate change, beyond the case of the stratospheric ozone layer.

 

At the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change to be held in Dubai in just over a month's time, the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) will be sharing a pavilion with various United Nations programmes and agencies, in particular UNEP, the Montreal Protocol Secretariat and OzonAction. The common goal is to promote sustainable refrigeration worldwide, in particular through workshops organised in a hybrid format.

 

I invite you to participate. It is essential for every country to draw up national cooling plans, including heat pumps, aimed at drastically reducing the use of fluorinated gases and the energy consumption of equipment, while ensuring an increase in refrigerating equipment where it is needed, particularly in developing countries.

 

The IIR is already involved in numerous projects in Africa, Asia and Europe such as setting up cold chains for food, equipping hospitals, installing low-energy air-conditioning systems, defining strategies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

 

We are open to participating in other projects, beyond our traditional activities involving databases, publications and conferences.

 

The IIR, together with its network of experts from academia and industry, is at your disposal.

 

Thank you,

 

Didier Coulomb, Director General of the IIR