At the Second ECPA Ministerial held in Mexico in May 2015, the governments established a Steering Committee. The Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States (OAS), in its ECPA Clearinghouse capacity, has been reaching out to this newly created body to commence meaningful dialogue on Partnership development.

On July 10, the governments of Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico and United States, held their first exchange as members of the Steering Committee to resume discussions launched in Mexico regarding the development of an Action Plan that will define the hemispheric role of ECPA in a fashion consistent with its seven pillars. The initial conversation allowed for the designation of Chile and Mexico as Steering Committee Chair and Vice chair respectively. Additionally, the group was able to plan the first steps toward the design of the Partnership’s Action Plan 2015-2017. The Action Plan will pave the way forward to strengthen Inter-American dialogue on energy and climate in anticipation of COP21 in Paris and the 2017 ECPA Ministerial in Chile.

The ECPA Steering Committee will convene its first meeting in Santiago, Chile, on the fringes of the Regional Workshop for the Strengthening and Deployment of Renewable Energy in the Americas, to be held in Santiago, Chile on August 25-26. Current members of the ECPA Steering Committee include the governments of Chile, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.