Parliamentarians from Latin America and the Caribbean attended meeting on renewable energies
Legislators from 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries attended the interparliamentary meeting Upscaling Renewable Energy Deployment for the Good of All: The Role of Legislators organized by ParlAmericas, IRENA, and the Global Renewables Congress.
The event, held in the framework of Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week 2023, also brought together specialists, representatives of multilateral institutions and civil society organizations to discuss methods and opportunities to accelerate the deployment of renewable energies in different national contexts in the region.
The session was inaugurated by the Honourable Member of the House of Representatives Fernando Arce (Panama), member of the ParlAmericas Board, and Bärbel Höhn (Germany), president of the GRC and acting ambassador for energy reform in Africa. It included a keynote address by Juan Carlos Villalonga, president of GLOBE Legislators. The meeting also included the panel “Multi-stakeholder perspectives for inclusive renewable energy deployment,” moderated by Senator Anthony Vieira (Trinidad and Tobago), Vice President for the Caribbean of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change and Sustainability, which featured the Honourable Oscar Mira (Belize), Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security and Defense; Paola Vega (Costa Rica), member of the Global Renewables Congress; Charlin Bodley, Manager of RMI’s Energy Transition Academy and member of the Clinton Climate Initiative Women in Renewable Energy (WIRE) Network; and Joice Méndez, member of the United Nations Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change and IRENA Youth Leader.
In the dialogues, participants highlighted mechanisms for parliaments to advance actions towards a just and inclusive energy transition, engaging civil society, including women, and particularly those living in rural settings, to ensure that the transition responds to their needs, promotes their empowerment, and fosters income-generating activities.
Dr. Guadalupe González (Panama), Director of Electricity, National Secretariat of Energy, offered closing remarks.
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Senator Anthony Vieira (Trinidad and Tobago), Vice President for the Caribbean of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change and Sustainability
“It is clear that we must promote policies that favour a just transition to low-emission energy systems through measures that strengthen clean energy generation and encourage energy efficiency. The transition can play a vital role not only because it proposes to decarbonize our energy matrices but also because it offers opportunities to expand and make electricity more accessible to rural communities and historically marginalized groups. Intergenerational discussions are vital in this. This generation is trying to build a bridge to the future”.
