Minister of Youth, Sports, and Transport Rodwell Ferguson leads Belize delegation to Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum in Jamaica

Photo Credit: GOB Press Office

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Youth, Sports, and Transport Rodwell Ferguson leads the Belize delegation to the 8^th Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum (CSEF8) 2023 in Kingston, Jamaica from Tuesday to Thursday, November 7-9.

The CSEF8 is being held under the theme ‘Powering Transport’ with the focus being the electrification of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), particularly the transport sector, decarbonising difficult-to-electrify segments of the transport sector, and integrating electric vehicles into power distribution networks.

“The CSEF is a clean energy event for the Caribbean Community aimed at facilitating high-level dialogue and identifying actions that can promote a shift to sustainable energy through increased use of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency applications, and energy management technologies,” the Government of Belize Press Office said in a statement.

“The focus of the 2023 forum is sustainable energy production, delivery, and application within the transport sector. Through the e-Mobility Pilot Project, a national delegation of policymakers and technical leads is engaging Caribbean counterparts in knowledge exchange and learning.”

The Ferguson-led delegation include representatives of the Department of Transport, the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics and E-Governance, the Public Private Partnership Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, Belize City Council, Public Utilities Commission, the University of Belize, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Belize.

According to CARICOM Today, the participating energy stakeholders and policymakers reiterate “their commitment to a just transition that significantly reduces carbon emissions and the reliance on fossil fuels”.

The CARICOM Secretariat, the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), and the Jamaica Electric Vehicle Association (JEVA) host CSEF with support from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

In reference to renewable energy, CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, Joseph Cox, said CARICOM countries are pushing to increase electrification from the present 19% to 51% by 2050. Cox said to do so, CARICOM countries need to change the approach adding that the region needs to review legislation and modernize the electrification grids.