Ask UNIDO – How does a cooling career in UNIDO could look like?

This World Refrigeration Day issue notably also features a special “Ask UNIDO” section. One of our dear colleagues from the Montreal Protocol Division, Milan Demko, is retiring after 24 years of working at UNIDO. We wanted to use the opportunity to present two of our very own cooling champions and show how a possible cooling career in the public and international sphere could look like. In this more personal article, Nil Oezhan, UNIDO Project Assistant, reflects upon her experiences and lessons learned from working closely together with Milan including a particularly memorable mission together to Syria. Make sure to read until the end as – in true Milan-fashion for all those who know him – he also shares with us some takeaways on working on Montreal Protocol projects.

What did you learn from Milan in his function as a Project Manager?

Nil: Milan is a Chemical Engineer who has worked as part of UNIDO for 24 years on the implementation of Montreal Protocol projects in 20 countries, such as the Republic of Congo, the Sudan, Pakistan, the Niger and Syria, to name but a few. Before joining UNIDO, he was working in the private sector in Slovakia and Libya. This brief overview tells a lot about his rich experience and the knowledge he was able to share with me and our counterparts. I was truly able to learn a lot from him in the time we worked together!

Since I started working with Milan, my understanding of the terms “team work” and “dedication” have changed to a whole new level. We have been working closely on all aspects of the project planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting, which has helped me to continuously learn and grow in my area of work. The project planning is a crucial phase for every project’s success, and Milan is particularly meticulous in the level of details and effort he puts into developing projects. Taking into consideration that our work is to transfer new and sustainable technologies to developing countries, a process that does not always goes smoothly, the detailed project planning always proved helpful in ensuring project success.

How did the work with Milan start for you and what were some of the projects he worked on?

Nil: Working in an international organization requires from people to have excellent communication skills and openness for different cultures. It is also a very enriching experience. Both Milan and I, managed to quickly establish a team spirit and work based on trust and mutual respect. This was a promising start for both of us when we starting working in our small team. He has been working in 20 countries on the implementation of Montreal Protocol projects related to the phase out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and the earlier projects related to the phase out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and methyl bromide (MBr), all of which are not only ozone depleting substances, but also chemicals with high global warming potential. Milan’s expertise is in the foam sector, that means everything related to the production of polyurethane foam, flexible slab stock foam, rigid foam, polyurethane integral skin, flexible moulded polyurethane foam, extruded polystyrene – which are used for manufacturing of insulation panels, sandwich panels, insulated fishing boxes, domestic and commercial refrigerators, unitary air-conditioning equipment, cold rooms, cold storages, etc. In light of the World Refrigeration Campaign and UNIDO’s Montreal Protocol Division’s campaign for nominating your cooling champion, I would definitely nominate Milan for his contribution to the Montreal Protocol implementation which translates into more than 3,000 ODP tonnes phased out.

Can you share a specific project work example to better imagine how both your workdays look like?

Nil: One of the dearest to my heart is the project we are working on for the phase-out of HCFC-22 and HCFC-141b from the manufacture of unitary air-conditioning equipment and rigid polyurethane insulation panels at the company Al Hafez Group, based in Syria. Having a career in international development implies a lot of challenging situations, working under pressure, but also very rewarding experiences. This one is particularly dear to me because, despite of the usually bad news that the media covers in Syria, we are working on a project that will demonstrate the contrary. The project involves close cooperation with the National Ozone Officer (NOO) ensuring that the country identifies HCFC consumers and eligible manufacturers that can convert to non-ODS substances. The company Al Hafez Groups is producing unitary air-conditioning equipment and rigid polyurethane insulation panels. Despite the challenging situation, the company has resumed with production. However, given that the technology used has a negative impact on the ozone layer and the climate, a project was prepared by UNIDO and approved by the Multilateral Fund for changing the company technology to non-ODS chemicals.

As soon as the situation in the field allowed, we organized a mission to visit the company premises and meet the company representatives and the NOO.

Jointly with the National Ozone Officer (NOO), we verified the baseline conditions in the company in terms of operation and functioning and checked the available production premises where new equipment and machinery for the main project components (Refrigeration and Foam) were planned to be installed. This mission took place in 2019.

The factory of Al Hafez Group consists of seven plants and nine manufacturing halls and workshops and four large storage facilities: Foaming, cold-rooms, showcases, vitrines, water chillers and other commercial refrigeration body building, series of workshops manufacturing components and assembling heat exchangers as well as a computer design centre and testing station. We also visited the company’s premises located in the city of Homs, where the character of technology is very similar to Damascus’ factory, although on a much smaller scale. The company even plans to further expand and build new manufacturing facilities 40km north-east of Aleppo.

During our mission, jointly with the NOO we agreed on the modalities of performance control and performance verification according to the Memorandum of Agreement. It was agreed that the factory was prepared for the respective re-organization to install new technological components to be purchased in the course of this project implementation.
In terms of project planning and implementation, this project is not very different from other Montreal Protocol projects where we do conversion of enterprises to new technologies. What makes this special, is the persistence and optimism of all people involved. This project is more than simple procurement and installation of equipment that will help the company produce air-conditioning equipment and insulation panels with ODS free technology. It is also a demonstration of the commitment from our Syrian counterparts and beneficiaries to rebuild the industry in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way, as well as commitment from the international community to support this process, transfer new technologies and increase manufacturing capacities that will hopefully translate into new job openings for the Syrian women and men.

But coming back to the main character of this article, it was also Milan’s persistence that kept this project alive, even when odds were against us. This has taught me, as his assistant, many valuable lessons which I am thankful for.

Milan, all those who know you will undoubtedly miss your positive attitude around UNIDO headquarters as well as your ability to always answer the question: “How are you?” with: “I am the best in the universe!” Your assistant, Nil, has shared with us her experiences of working with you and the excellent support you have provided not only to the dozens of countries you have worked with but also to colleagues who have had the pleasure of working with you. Now, we’d like to hear from you:

What does the Montreal Protocol mean to you and how has it contributed to sustainable development at the global level?

Milan: The Montreal Protocol as such is naturally one of the most important global environmental agreements. Huge, environmental impact, due to two vastly improving effects of a) ODP reduction and b) GWP reduction, in combination with technological feasibility to implement, proved it most probably the most successful multilateral agreement in history. For me, it has meant the opportunity to contribute to good and meaningful work and even more. Nonetheless, the work continues through further stages, hence, I am hopeful and believe in future positive developments now that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is a reality and that the work continues not only to phase out ozone depleting substances, but to prevent and decrease the use of substances, such as the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), that have high global warming potential.

How do you see the future of Montreal Protocol?

Milan: The future of the Montreal Protocol should be limited. Otherwise, the sustainability is missed. And to add something more philosophical at the end: Or it should stay till the end of the mankind, since the desire to improve is an intrinsic character of a human. However, would a will and possibility to fund such developmental pertain?

What are your top three recommendations for countries for achieving the Montreal Protocol targets?

Milan: To be short and to the point:

#1 DO; #2 YOUR; #3 BEST

Milan, from all of us at UNIDO’s Montreal Protocol Division, we wish you all the best for your retirement!