The Second Public Discussion Forum of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, Overview of Partners’ Engagement: Successful Strategies for Collaboration, will take place on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, in the Padilha Vidal Room of the OAS General Secretariat Building, on 1889 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20006. The Department of Sustainable Development (DSD) of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI) is hosting this forum to support the dialogue on sustainable energy solutions and climate change mitigation under the auspices of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). Ambassador Juan Federico Jiménez Mayor, Permanent Representative of Peru before the OAS, Ambassador Jean-Claude Nolla, Permanent Observer of France before the OAS, and Sherry Tross, Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS will be keynote speakers at this event showcasing concrete collaborative efforts led by governments, international organizations and NGOs to advance sustainable energy and climate change priorities.

The public discussion forum will enable a frank debate on effective ways to effectively drive energy and climate actions taking place at national and regional levels. The potential for future partnerships and collaboration among governments, civil society and the private sector under the auspices of ECPA will be discussed. ECPA implementing partners from across the region will be in Washington to share first-hand knowledge about their projects’ engagement strategies. Featured institutional partners include the Costa Rican Center for Environmental Law and Natural Resources (CEDARENA), SNV International, Partners of the Americas, Solar Energy International, Trees, Water & People, State University of New York at Albany, University of Costa Rica’s Electrochemistry Center (CELEQ) and the OAS Department of Sustainable Development, among others.

This is the second in a series of four fora hosted by the Department of Sustainable Development in its ECPA Clearinghouse capacity. The purpose is to foster greater energy and climate dialogue and collaboration among OAS member states and the diplomatic community in Washington. The fora enable the participation of diverse audiences in an exchange of best practices and lessons learned on energy and climate.

Partnerships and collaborative alliances are pivotal to the advancement of sustainable energy solutions and climate change mitigation. ECPA contributes to this goal by facilitating an open space for multi-sectoral dialogue and knowledge exchange. The audience will engage in an open debate with ECPA implementing partners and Clearinghouse staff about the potential to leverage new partnerships to create a more robust ECPA network. The ECPA Clearinghouse will look forward to receive inputs regarding the potential for partnership growth and opportunities for regional collaboration.

ECPA Public Discussion Series:

The ECPA Public Forum Discussion Series is an activity of the ECPA Clearinghouse. The first forum held in January 2014 addressed the topic of energy and climate change education. Upcoming discussion fora will address climate change adaptation strategies and the impact of expanded natural gas resources on the energy future of the Americas.

About ECPA

The Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) was proposed by President Obama in 2009 at the Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad and Tobago. ECPA is a mechanism to foster partnerships for greater dialogue, collaboration and awareness on energy and climate. The General Secretariat of the OAS, through its Department of Sustainable Development (DSD), operates the ECPA Clearinghouse since 2009.

For more information about this ECPA event, click here.