The Organization of American States (OAS), the US State Department and the Partners of the Americas organized a discussion of the initiatives undertaken by the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) since its creation to mitigate climate change and promote sustainable development through projects on energy efficiency, biofuels, photovoltaics, sustainable communities and combatting energy poverty.
13 July 2012: The Organization of American States (OAS) hosted a discussion of initiatives undertaken by the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) since its launch in 2009 at the Fifth Summit of the Americas.
The “Dialogue of Regional Activities in the Framework of the ECPA,” organized by the OAS, the US State Department and the non-governmental organization Partners of the Americas, was held at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on 13 July 2012.
Opening the meeting, Jorge Saggiante, OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development, recalled the origin and rationale for the ECPA. He highlighted: the ECPA Working Group on Energy Efficiency coordinated by Mexico to exchange lessons learned and best practice in energy efficiency policy; an OAS-sponsored study on possible grid interconnection among Caribbean islands; and the sustainable communities initiative for Central America and the Caribbean, which will promote community and NGO projects on renewable energy, energy efficiency, disaster resilience and waste management.
Andres Gonzalez Diaz, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the OAS, noted that the Sixth Summit of the Americas hosted by his country in April 2012 called for universal access to electricity throughout the hemisphere. He also cited OAS work with some Member countries to assess the potential for and promote the development of biofuel.
Matthew Rooney, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, highlighted ECPA-supported photovoltaic projects in the Caribbean and the OAS role in promoting hemispheric dialogue on sustainable energy. [OAS Press Release]