Greetings and apologies from the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community – Ambassador Irwin LaRocque who is unable to attend but sends his best wishes for a successful forum.
I am delighted that you are here in Barbados for the Opening of this event. The Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum (CSEF) is a biennial renewable energy and energy efficiency forum that has been held in the region since 2008.
Now organized by the Caribbean Community, it has its genesis in the Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme (CREDP), which is funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through the GIZ.
The GIZ organized the first meeting (CSEF-1) in Grenada in 2008. Based on the Grenada success, the second meeting (CSEF-2) was held in Jamaica in 2010.
Recognizing the demand from stakeholders that the CSEF should become a staple in our Regional deliberations, the decision was made to have responsibility for the CSEF transferred to the CARICOM Secretariat and since then forums have been held in St. Kitts and Nevis in 2012 and now in Barbados.
We are pleased that the GIZ has remained a critical partner of the CSEF and this year both the CREDP and the recently launched, Renewable Energy and Energy efficiency Technical Assistance (REETA) Project have partnered with us in hosting this event.
This year, we are here in the Headquarters of the Caribbean Development Bank not by accident but by design as the CDB is also one of our partners in the hosting of the CSEF. This partnership is an indication of the commitment of the Bank to addressing squarely one of the most significant barriers to the sustainable growth and development of the region, energy.
Already, we see exciting developments in some Member States who are creating roadmaps for increasing renewable energy use and energy efficiency applications.
At the regional level, the strategy on energy has now been anchored within the framework of the Caribbean Community Strategic Plan: 2015-2019, adopted by the Heads of Government in July last, and more specifically, within the CARICOM Energy Policy (CEP) and the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS). Energy is also a prominent theme in discussions about the United Nations (UN) Post 2015 Development Agenda for which the Secretariat and Member States are preparing negotiating positions.
On the behalf of the Secretariat, I take this opportunity to welcome you to the Fourth Edition of the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum and look forward to the outcome of the dialogue which will no doubt form part of the actions for implementation of the CARICOM Energy Policy, as well as the Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy in Member States.
I thank you.
