The first series of trainings under the ozone depleting substances phase-out programme has been finished.

The series of UNEP/UNDP workshops "Introduction of up-to-date practices in maintenance of refrigeration equipment and conditioners" and "CFC recovery and recycling" has been finished in Kazakhstan. The workshops have been held in 15 big cities of Kazakhstan: Almaty, Aktau, Aktobe, Atyrau, Astana, Karaganda, Kokshetau, Kostanai, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Taraz, Semipalatinsk, Shymkent, Uralsk and Ust-Kamenogorsk.

General number of UNDP and UNEP workshops - 33, where 740 technicians and specialists of refrigeration sector have been participated.

During the workshops Climate change Coordination Center jointly with UNDP have distributed 463 refrigerants recovery kits and 92 CFC recycling kits.
Thus 92 CFC recycling centers have currently begun to operate within Kazakhstan. Their main objective is to reduce CFC losses, achieving in that way freons emissions reduction into atmosphere and ozone layer depletion reduction.

The main purpose of workshops was creation of effective network of freons recovery and recycling centers, improvement of maintenance of refrigeration equipment and conditioners for preventing intentional and accidental CFC emissions into atmosphere, public awareness rising on ozone layer depleting and climate change problems.

Among the workshops participants there were technicians of companies dealing with maintenance, installation, assembling of refrigeration equipment, teachers of technical universities and colleges, where refrigeration and conditioning systems specialists are being taught.

Now the Phase II of UNEP project is being prepared. Training workshops on training of refrigerant technicians, who haven\'t been trained at the Phase I, to be held during the Phase II.