UNEP's United for Efficiency (U4E) hosted its annual Partners' Meeting on 3–4 December in Paris. The event brought together around 35 representatives from governments, industry, regional centres of excellence, financial institutions, and international organizations to shape the next phase of cooperation on energy-efficient products and systems. The meeting opened with remarks from Ruth do Coutto, Deputy Director of UNEP’s Climate Change Division, and Hongpeng Lei, Chief of the Climate ...Read More
Cooling for Change: Rwanda Hosts the First-Ever Festival of Cooling
The first-ever Festival of Cooling brought together farmers, students, innovators, and policymakers for a week-long celebration of sustainable cooling at the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain (ACES) in Kigali. From October 7–10, the event transformed ACES into a vibrant hub of innovation, creativity, and collaboration, showcasing how cooling can drive climate action, food security, and economic growth across Africa. A Festival with Purpose Unlike a ...Read More
Cutting Food Loss in Kenya with Cold-Chain Solutions
In Kenya’s Kinale region, farmers from the Lari Horticultural Cooperative Society are seeing remarkable benefits from new cold storage facilities and refrigerated vans. Before the project, farmers routinely lost up to 40% of their harvests on the way to market. Now, losses have dropped to just a few per cent, and incomes have increased by around 50%. This success story is part of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chains (ACES), a collaborative initiative led by ...Read More
August 2025 Issue of the U4E Newsletter Now Available
Stay up to date with the latest developments from U4E. Our quarterly newsletter spotlights global progress in advancing energy efficiency through U4E’s initiatives, tools, and partnerships. The August 2025 issue features: New Sustainable Procurement Guidelines for Data Centres and Servers, and highlights from the global launch webinar ASEAN governments reaffirm cooling commitments at the 2nd ASEAN Regional Workshop in Manila East Africa approves harmonised MEPS for air ...Read More
Empowering Farmers Through Sustainable Cold Chains in Kenya
A new article by the Clean Cooling Network highlights the impressive impact of the SPOKE programme in Kenya, which is delivering a 50% increase in return for local farmers. This is made possible through a combination of sustainable cold chain infrastructure, solar-powered cooling technologies, and tailored training in post-harvest handling and marketing. The SPOKE programme (Specialised Outreach and Knowledge Establishment) is part of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable ...Read More
Festival of Cooling: Advancing Sustainable Cold-chain in Rwanda this September
The Clean Cooling Network and the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain (ACES) are hosting the "Festival of Cooling" from 22-26 September 2025 at the ACES Campus in Kigali, Rwanda. The event will promote sustainable cold chain solutions through awareness, capacity building, and collaboration. Bringing together key stakeholders from across sectors, the festival will tackle the challenges and unlock the opportunities within the cold chain. More than a one-off ...Read More
UNEP Hosts Study Tour in Singapore to Drive Enhanced MEPS in Southeast Asia
On 5-6 November, UNEP-U4E, under the ASEAN Cool Initiative, and UNEP OzonAction jointly led a Study Tour in Singapore, aimed at fostering knowledge exchange, sharing best practices, and enhancing understanding of regulatory frameworks for implementing and enforcing enhanced Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) across the region. The tour showcased Singapore's success meeting the Regional Phase II MEPS targets, offering a model for other ASEAN countries. The Study Tour was ...Read More
UK Minister visits Cold-Chain Centre and new technologies to support food security in Rwanda
In early September, the UK Minister for Africa, Lord Collins, visited the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain (ACES) in Kigali, Rwanda during the Africa Food Systems Annual Summit to get a closer look at new solutions to underpin food security, economic stability, and public health in the country. Officially launched in 2020, the Programme has been enabled by over $20m of funding from the UK Government. ACES is a collaborative effort led by UNEP U4E in ...Read More
