Antigua & Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne will be among Caribbean leaders attending the first-ever Caribbean Energy Summit opening in Washington DC today.
The Summit, an initiative of US Vice President Joe Biden, is a follow-up to a similar meeting held in 2013 in Trinidad and Tobago.
The White House said the Summit will focus on promoting sustainable energy in the region, including access to financing, at a time where regional and international energy markets are volatile.
The meeting also comes against a background of increasing focus on development of the region’s renewable energy supplies and attention on implementing policies and measures for meeting international climate change emission targets.
A release from Browne’s office said that among the concerns of Antigua & Barbuda, and other Caribbean countries, will be advancing international cooperation to enable private and public sector investment in the energy sector.
Specifically, the nation is looking at upgrading electricity grids, energy efficiency, and wind and solar energy development.
The Washington summit is expected to be attended by a number of bilateral and multilateral organisation including the Caribbean Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Union, and the Organisation of American States (OAS).
Both the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Caricom secretariats will be represented.
Following the meeting, the Summit is expected to issue a broad statement of principles intended to promote a cleaner and more sustainable energy future for the Caribbean.
Outside of the Summit’s main thrust, Caribbean leaders are also scheduled to discuss a number of other issues with US Vice President and Obama-administration officials such as, the region’s economic competitiveness, human resource development, and citizen security.
Prime Minister Browne will be accompanied by Minister of Energy and Investment Asot Michael and Advisor to the Minister of Energy Ambassador Brian Challenger.