During the first Latin American and Caribbean regional meeting for the en.lighten initiative, energy efficiency officials and climate change focal points from 26 countries explored opportunities for governments to formally participate in a globally coordinated effort to transition to efficient lighting as a key efficiency and climate mitigation measure.
12 August 2011: During the first regional meeting of the en.lighten initiative, conducted for Latin American and Caribbean countries, delegates adopted the Santo Domingo Declaration, which encourages the phasing out of general service incandescent lamps and the transition to more efficient lighting products.
The first Latin American and Caribbean regional meeting for the en.lighten initiative convened on 4 August 2011, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in conjunction with the 2011 Latin American and Caribbean Energy Efficiency Seminar, organized by the Organización Latinoamericana de la Energía (OLADE). Energy efficiency officials and climate change focal points from 26 countries participated in the event, exploring opportunities for governments to formally participate in a globally coordinated effort to transition to efficient lighting as a key efficiency and climate mitigation measure. Discussions focused on the phase-out of general purpose incandescent light bulbs.
The Dominican Republic proposed that Latin American and Caribbean countries formalize the Santo Domingo Declaration at the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) in June 2012, as a political commitment towards realizing a green economy.
en.lighten is an initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and leading global lighting manufacturers (Philips and OSRAM), to accelerate market transformation of efficient lighting technologies on a global scale. [En.lighten Website] [IISD RS Sources]