Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar met today in New York City with foreign ministers from numerous governments of the Western Hemisphere. Leaders met at a side event during the 67^th United Nations General Assembly to advance Connecting the Americas 2022 (Connect 2022), an initiative launched at the Sixth Summit of the Americas in April 2012.

Through political will and close collaboration among partner countries of the Americas, Connect 2022 aims to strengthen regulatory frameworks and promote electrical inter-connections to achieve access to electricity for all citizens of the hemisphere within a decade, improving the quality of life of all peoples of the Americas.

Representatives of international financial institutions, including the Inter-American Development Bank, The World Bank, and the Organization of American States participated in the meeting and re-affirmed their support for Connect 2022.

Please contact John Finn, at finnjw@state.gov or 202-647-7959, or visit the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources for further information.