SICA countries approve five Energy Pacts and put the region at the forefront of integration and sustainability

(June 28, 2024)In accordance with the mission of the Central American Integration System (SICA), its eight member countries approved five energy pacts that seek to advance Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: achieving affordable, safe, sustainable, and non-polluting energy for the entire population.

The XVII Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Energy Ministers held on June 20 in Tegucigalpa, under the Pro Tempore Presidency of the SICA of Honduras, was attended by the Energy Ministers of the SICA countries, as well as officials who have accompanied the process of the Subregional Headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Mexico, and of SICA.

The Energy Pacts approved by the countries are based on the Sustainable Energy Strategy 2030 and are:

1. Universal access to electricity.

2. Reduction in the use of firewood.

3. Promotion of renewable energies for the generation of electricity.

4. Support and strengthening of non-conventional renewable energies

5. Improving energy efficiency through Central American Technical Regulations (RTCA).

The Energy Compacts arise from the UN mandate to increase ambition and accelerate action to achieve the targets of SDG 7, which led to the High-Level Dialogue on Energy that gave rise to the creation of the Energy Compacts, which represent a historic opportunity for transformative action to drive compliance with the 2030 Agenda and support the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. These are coordinated by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs as the UN-Energy Secretariat, with the technical support of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).

With the approval of the five pacts, the SICA countries have placed the subregion at the forefront, as it is the only case in the world where a group of nations has negotiated and agreed on an integrated and common agenda. This was achieved after a process of socialization and intense negotiations. For the socialization process, 10 webinars were held by SICA and the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters in Mexico, with the participation of representatives from the academic, public, private, non-governmental organizations, and civil society sectors, among others.

On the implementation of the five compacts by the countries, Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-President of UN-Energy, acknowledged the strong commitment of the subregion to achieve SDG 7.

“I congratulate SICA and the Pro Tempore Presidency of Honduras for developing five new Energy Pacts, committing to significant advances in universal access to electricity and expanding renewable energy, reflecting the region’s strong dedication to SDG7. These Energy Pacts are a testament to regional cooperation and action towards a sustainable and resilient future. “SEforALL and UN-Energy look forward to continuing to work with the region to promote actions on sustainable energy for all,” said the senior UN official in a written message sent to participants.

The XVII Meeting was chaired by Hondurans Erick Tejada, Secretary of Energy, and Tomás Rodríguez, Undersecretary of Energy, and was attended in person by the Ministers of Energy Deon Kelly, from Belize; Víctor Hugo Ventura Ruiz, from Guatemala; Santiago Bermúdez, from Nicaragua, and Luis García, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Honduras. Pablo Bermúdez Vives, from Costa Rica, Juan Carlos Guevara, from El Salvador, and Rosilena Lindo, from Panama, participated virtually.

The executive director of the General Secretariat of SICA, Ingrid Figueroa, pointed out that the pacts presented represent a concerted international effort to accelerate the achievement of the objectives and goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development related to energy. The Head of the Energy and Natural Resources Unit, Debora Ley, attended on behalf of ECLAC, who said that the approval of the five pacts helps to make SICA visible as the regional institution with the greatest integrationist achievements in LAC and the energy sector as one of the pioneers of sustainable development.