ABOUT CARICOM ENERGY

CARICOM Energy stands as the collective set of priority initiatives, policies, programmes and actions (PIPPAs) that directs the integrated work on the regional strategy for the sustainable energy transition. Initiated in 2008 as the CARICOM Energy Programme under the Directorate of Trade and Economic Integration, the unit coordinated the finalization of the regional energy policy and is currently responsible for the strategic management of a programmatic approach to the region’s energy issues. The team at CARICOM Energy oversees policy formation for and execution of the CARICOM Energy Framework with areas of focus including inter alia, the implementation of sustainable energy models, procurement of technical support in renewable energy solutions and, the promotion of  energy systems efficiency.

Support  for CARICOM Energy is provided by the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS) Platform and implementation is coordinated by the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE).

The Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum (CSEF), a biennial event, has been held in the Region since 2008 and started as a flagship event under the CREDP/GIZ Project. CSEF represents the first efforts within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to establish a permanent sustainable energy conference focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency development in the Region. This was in response to the critical need for a forum that could facilitate dialogue among a wide cross-section of energy sector stakeholders – policymakers and local, regional and international experts – to advance the resolution of key challenges such as energy security, energy sustainability and energy poverty. CSEF is developmental in focus and seeks to identify recommended collective action on regional level decisions and implementation in the context of CARICOM.

The first staging of CSEF was held in St. Georges, Grenada, in June 2008 under the theme ‘Climate Change, Water and Sanitation: A Shared Responsibility’, in which 50 representatives from government agencies, UN bodies and international organizations, academia, business and industry, civil society and financial institutions were in attendance. The second edition of CSEF under the unified theme, ‘Coping with Copenhagen: Water, Waste, Energy, Health’ was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica in 2010. The third staging of CSEF took place in Frigate Bay, St. Kitts and Nevis with focus on ‘Advancing Energy Integration and Energy Access through Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in CARICOM’. CSEF IV was hosted in November 2014, in St. Michaels, Barbados. Under the theme of ‘Future Energy, 2027’, the fifth edition of CSEF was held last year (2017) in Nassau, The Bahamas and featured discussions among a diverse stakeholder group focusing on policy, planning and decision‑support mechanisms that were crucial to the energy transformation within the region.

This year, CSEF VI will be held at Placencia, Belize from 19-21 November 2018 under the theme “Clean Energy, Good Governance and Regulations”. Now in its Sixth edition, the CSEF is well recognized in the region and has since become the “must attend” clean energy event for CARICOM. The CSEF VI is organized in collaboration with the Government of Belize in partnership with the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) and the Organization of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR). Financial and technical support for the staging of the Forum is being provided by the Technical Assistance Programme for Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean (TAPSEC), which is being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) with funding under the Caribbean Regional Indicative Programme (CRIP) of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) and co-financing from the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The CSEF VI will focus on the development of a deeper understanding on the “right” support frameworks and partnerships that are necessary to unlock the finances for delivering “affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for citizens and businesses within the Caribbean Community. The Forum will draw from the expertise of over one hundred participants, constituting a mix of Energy Ministers from Member States; senior officials from national, regional and international institutions; business leaders; and industry experts.

Featured presentations will be made by a High-level Ministerial Panel on key areas of Regional Energy Security & Climate Resilience. In addition, the CSEF VI agenda features a number of keynote lectures, as well plenary, concurrent and special sessions reflecting the work done by Regional stakeholders and experts into Clean Energy Implementation and Technological Innovation. CSEF VI will conclude with two Technical Workshops aimed at securing Investments and ensuring affordability in the region’s ongoing energy transformation.

The forum seeks to provide opportunities for participants to reflect and draw on insights that can deepen understanding of the actions and strategies that can catalyze the integration of transformative technological, and other, solutions into the regional energy system. The expectation is that the CSEF, uniquely situated between government and non‑state actors, will provide the basis through which different approaches that have the potential to shift the regional energy systems from their current state of inefficiency and oil‑dependency to a state of sustainable energy production and use, can be identified.

In general, the event is designed to provide focus on the policy, planning and decision‑support mechanisms that are necessary for the quantification and articulation of the investment requirements and environment that is required to support the regional energy transformation.