UN Convenes Engagement to Support Caribbean Region’s Energy Transition

As a follow-up to a Triple Crisis Roundtable co-hosted with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) last September, to elicit solutions and policy responses for strengthening food systems and boosting transition to renewable energy, the UN Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Multi-country office today convened another multi-stakeholder engagement, aimed at scaling up efforts towards renewable, clean and green energy solutions.

Speaking against the backdrop of limited renewable energy policies and funding pipelines in the region, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Didier Trebucq, said the UN was pleased to convene the meeting, to strengthen collaboration between the UN, donor Governments, and finance institutions on the way forward. 

He told donor partners attending the hybrid meeting at UN House, as well as online: “Like you, we also feel that we must deliver better on this Agenda. You can rest assured that we are deeply committed to working together, leading coordination, and leveraging our respective capacities to bring to scale the renewable energy sector in the Caribbean.”

The UN leader noted that support would be provided under the aegis of the new UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the Caribbean, which aligns with national priorities and the 2030 Agenda. 

In providing an evidence-base to support energy transition, Head of the UN Environment Programme, Vincent Sweeney, told attendees, “The economic case for energy transition was clear.” According to recent UNEP research, a large-scale shift to electricity from renewable energy could bring the Latin America and Caribbean region a net benefit of US$1.25 trillion and generate over 35 million new jobs by 2050.

During the session, development partners identified best practices to support the energy transition agenda, including provision of capacity support for countries, and helping to shape the region’s sustainable finance agenda. In terms of next steps, follow-up actions will seek to build coherence in development assistance, strengthen the regulatory framework for renewables in the region, support member states in building a pipeline of investable projects, increase access to renewable energy data, and enhance private sector engagement to support energy transitions.

Participating in today’s  talks were representatives from the European Union (EU), Canada, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), World Bank (WB),  European Investment Bank (EIB), and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), along with representatives of UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, and the UN Resident Coordinator Office. 

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For further Information please contact:

Carol A. Gaskin 

Development Coordination Officer, Programme Communications and Advocacy

UN Resident Coordinator Office 

Email: carol-ann.gaskin@un.org.  

Telephone:1 (246) 467-6110 (L) 1 (246) 832-6110 (M)