Iberoamerican Ministerial Meeting, Uruguay September, 26-27 2006

In line with the priorities and regional mechanisms adopted within the RPLAC by UNIDO and GRULAC, on 26 and 27 September 2006 the Iberoamerican Ministerial Meeting ("Energy Security in the Latin American Region: Renewable Energy as a Viable Alternative") was held in Montevideo, Uruguay.

This meeting was organized by UNIDO with the Secretariat for the Iberoamerican Summit (SEGIB) and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines of Uruguay (MIEM). The meeting was convened to provide a forum for representatives from the region's energy ministries to discuss energy security and to agree on a regional cooperation programme to harness the potential of renewable energy technologies to meet the region's growing energy needs.

The meeting was attended by the President of Uruguay and the participation of the Secretary of SEGIB, Mr. Enrique V. Iglesias, the President of Petrobrás, and the Minister of Energy of Spain, among others. The two-day event featured over 40 speakers and 300 participants, with panel presentations and round tables, and included government representatives and ministers of energy and related portfolios from more than 15 LAC countries, business, industry, international and inter-governmental organizations, academia, research institutes and non-governmental institutions.

The sessions covered the potential of renewable energy to meet the rising demand for energy in Latin America. They also covered the following key themes: current status and experiences on the use and applications of renewable energy technologies within the overall global energy scenario; issues and opportunities specific to Latin America; ongoing regional projects, networks and programmes; existing policy and institutional framework; and agreement on a regional cooperation programme to boost the wide-scale adoption of renewable energy technologies in the region.

One of the main achievements of this meeting was the signature of the Declaration of Ministers and Representatives of the Iberoamerican Governments, which includes a call for more sustainable use of energy, for increased provision of renewable energies and regional integration and for research and technology development in this field. The declaration also encouraged governments to study the creation of a Regional Observatory on Renewable Energies. As an outcome, UNIDO was required to design, establish and identify funding for an Observatory on Renewable Energies in the LAC region.

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