Barbados has assumed the presidency of the hemispheric body Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) at its meeting held in Asunción, Paraguay, this week.
In accepting the role, Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, thanked the regional membership for the confidence placed in Barbados and committed the hemispheric body to ensuring that the unique and specific energy- transitioning issues facing the Caribbean were integrated fully into the work of the organisation with a president from that region in the Chair.
In addition, Senator Cummins pointed out that “within OLADE, there are sub-regional nuances that need to be captured within clear, defined work programmes as we move forward. We have the continental agenda facing South America and Central America and then we have the island economies of the Caribbean.
“There must, therefore, be sub-regional agendas within OLADE that facilitate meaningful outcomes and genuine energy integration. Barbados has proposed that with a clear sub-regional agenda, partners like our development agencies and business community can more come alongside us to give support that is tailored to our needs,” she stated.
For the next year, Senator Cummins will Chair the Organisation and the Ministerial Council, while Deputy Permanent Secretary, Projects, Keisha Reid, will Chair the Council of Experts, thus allowing Barbados to influence energy policy and sustainable development across Latin America and the Caribbean, aligning with its own goals of promoting renewable energy and climate resilience.
The Latin American Energy Organization is an intergovernmental, public cooperation, coordination and technical advisory body, launched on November 2, 1973, through the signing of the Lima Convention.
It was ratified by 27 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, with the fundamental objective of promoting the integration, conservation, rational use, commercialisation, protection and promotion of the energy resources of the region.
OLADE is a significant contributor to the sustainable development and energy security of the region. Currently, its 27 member countries are – Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.