Washington, D.C., Mar 19 2014 – Janaki R. R. Avalapati, an ECPA Fellow in the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), will be traveling Mar 21-23 to participate in meetings and events in Belize including Forest Management & Monitoring Stakeholder Forum. He will also be holding follow on meeting to a previous visit he had in Belize in November 2012. ECPA Fellow Janaki R. R. Alavalapati works at Virginia Tech University as the Head, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Department.

The ECPA Fellows program is a network of high-level technical experts in the fields of climate change and energy who travel between countries in the Western Hemisphere to consult with governments or other institutions. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemispheric Affairs and is administered by Partners of the Americas. There are currently 10 Senior ECPA Fellows who participate in these international exchanges. The main areas of focus for the program are: energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy infrastructure, energy poverty and access, sustainable forestry and land use, and climate change adaptation.

During his visit to Belize, Janaki R. R. Alavalapati will present at Forest Management & Monitoring Stakeholder Forum and will participate in meetings with government officials, representatives from the private sector and representatives from the University of Belize. As this is also a follow on visit to his previous engagement in Belize, Dr. Alavalapati will be having strategic meetings to consolidate an ongoing effort on capacity building on forest management that he started in November 2012 when he first visited Belize.

Partners of the Americas is an international network that promotes social and economic development in the Americas through leadership, voluntary service, and development programs. Its mission is to connect individuals, volunteers, institutions, businesses, and communities to serve and to change lives through lasting partnerships. Partners envisions an interconnected hemisphere that maximizes the social and economic potential, and leverages the full diversity, of the Americas.

See pdf version, here.