The U.S. Mission to the Organization of American States (USOAS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partnered with the Organization of American States to host a policy forum on April 10 at the Seventh World Urban Forum entitled “Clean Energy and Transport Solutions in an Urban Hemisphere: Lessons from the Americas.” The event participants shared lessons learned to promote sustainable communities in Latin America and the United States and highlighted U.S. and OAS efforts to help underserved communities through stakeholder engagement and by addressing the sustainability of basic services. Collaboration to promote sustainability and low carbon development remains a priority of the Obama administration and the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas.

Two non-governmental organization grantees from Costa Rica and Guatemala from the U.S.-funded Sustainable Communities in Central America and the Caribbean Project, and two EPA Climate Showcase Communities Program grantees from Central New York State and Salt Lake City, Utah, gave joint presentations highlighting innovative clean energy and transport solutions from their communities.

Delivering the keynote address, Ambassador Carmen Lomellin, U.S. permanent representative to the OAS, reaffirmed the United States’ support for collaborative solutions to global challenges such as air pollution, the growing demand for energy and transportation resources, environmental protection, and sustainable housing and infrastructure development. She also highlighted USOAS sponsored initiatives to convene mayors and other local leaders to promote hemispheric cooperation, the exchange of knowledge, and the implementation of best practices for municipal development, economic opportunity and democratic governance.

Ambassador Lomellin and the OAS also announced a second phase of the Sustainable Communities in Central America and the Caribbean project funded by USOAS. In June, this project will provide a second tranche of matching grants focused on promoting subnational dialogue, capacity building, and peer learning on sustainable urban development and municipal governance.

The OAS Department of Sustainable Development will implement the second phase of the Sustainable Communities project. More information about the initiative can be obtained from the following website:

http://www.oas.org/en/sedi/DSD/Biodiversity/Sustainable_Cities/SustainableCommunities.asp

This article was originally published by U.S. Department of State, here.