The Friends of the Kigali Amendment was launched in New York on September 23, 2026, marking a renewed effort to deliver on sustainable cooling. Ten years after the landmark Kigali Amendment to curb harmful refrigerants, governments and climate partners are exploring ways to accelerate implementation, ratification, and investment. The initiative aims to keep pace with a warming and increasingly urbanized world. Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva emphasized that adoption was only the beginning, and the real test is one of delivery.
The Kigali Amendment, adopted in 2016 under the Montreal Protocol, requires countries to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful greenhouse gases widely used in refrigeration and air conditioning. Air conditioners, refrigerators, and cold-chain systems are increasingly essential to daily life and economic activity, but the refrigerants and energy used by cooling equipment can also contribute significantly to climate change. Rwanda's Environment Minister Dr. Bernadette Arakwiye said the Kigali Amendment provides an opportunity to address this challenge with measurable action.
Available statistics indicate that full implementation of the Kigali Amendment could avoid up to 0.5°C of global warming by 2100, with additional benefits possible when the transition is combined with greater energy efficiency. Cooling is tied directly to whether vaccines and medicines can be safely stored, whether farmers can preserve produce long enough to reach markets, and whether businesses can operate efficiently in increasingly hot conditions. The transition also raises questions about technology, skills, finance, and access, particularly for countries still expanding basic infrastructure.
Rwanda seeks to demonstrate the connection through its African Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain, which brings together technology, skills, research, and investment around applications in food systems, healthcare, and other sectors. The centre aims to showcase the benefits of sustainable cooling, including access to cleaner, more efficient technology, lower energy costs, and new economic opportunities. Prime Minister Nsengiyumva emphasized that sustainable cooling cannot be treated only as a climate priority, but also as a development priority.
Major climate philanthropies, including the Sequoia Climate Foundation, announced a joint strategy with a goal of mobilizing $100 million to support HFC reductions and sustainable cooling. The philanthropic community is stepping up its efforts around super-pollutants while supporting faster implementation of the Kigali Amendment. This financial push comes as the need for expanding cooling systems intensifies, but without improved efficiency, this could increase pressure on energy systems and the climate.
The Friends of the Kigali Amendment, launched with support from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, is intended to reinforce rather than replace the formal institutions of the Montreal Protocol. Its focus is on political cooperation around HFC phase-down, energy-efficient cooling, refrigerant management, and the mobilization of public, private, and philanthropic finance. The renewed cooperation will have an immediate test in Kigali, where Rwanda will host the 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol later this year.
The 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol will provide an opportunity to examine whether renewed political commitments are translating into implementation. Prime Minister Nsengiyumva cautioned that the focus should be on moving from commitment to implementation, from implementation to impact, and from ambition to results. The meeting will come a decade after the agreement bearing the city’s name was adopted, and will be a crucial step in assessing progress towards sustainable cooling.
Key points
- The Kigali Amendment has the potential to avoid up to 0.5°C of global warming by 2100.
- Rwanda is hosting the 38th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol later this year.
- The Friends of the Kigali Amendment aims to mobilize $100 million to support HFC reductions and sustainable cooling.
