Brasilia Declaration on Renewable Energies

Statement by the Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean on renewable energies, held in Brasília on 29th and 30th October 2003.

The Latin American and Caribbean countries participating in the Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean on Renewable Energies,

Taking into account the national and international initiatives undertaken to follow up on the Plan of Action adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg,

Recalling that the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development adopted at the first special meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 31 August 2002, recognizes the important contribution that sub regional and regional activities can make to the promotion of sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean within the framework of the Platform for Action on the Road to Johannesburg 2002, adopted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in October 2001,

Further recalling that one of the principal objectives of the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development was to give a practical direction to the process that would culminate in the World Summit on Sustainable Development so that it would reflect the region’s unique characteristics, visions and goals, while being particularly cognizant of the validity of the principle of States’ common but differentiated responsibilities,

Welcoming the initiative of the German government to host in June 2004 an International Conference for Renewable Energies,

Underlining the positive contribution that the productive use of renewable energy sources can make to the sustainable development of the countries of the region, especially in the following areas:

a.Poverty alleviation, by reducing inequalities and creating new opportunities for employment and income generation,

b.Increased energy security and the diversification of national and regional energy matrices, especially with respect to the reduction of our economies´ dependence on the supply of fossil fuels,

c. Reduction of the risks associated with hydrological variability,

d. Decentralization of energy production, especially in rural and remote areas,

e. Improvement of the countries’ technological and industrial bases, and

f. Universalization of the supply and use of electricity,

Taking into consideration the challenges that fulfillment of the Johannesburg Plan of Action and the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development represent for the countries of the region, especially in respect of the contribution to be made by renewable energy to the world energy matrix,

Acknowledging the contribution made by the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition towards mobilizing the countries in all regions with respect to this issue,

Acknowledging also the importance of suitable coordination in formulating policies that link energy consumption and supply within a sustainable development framework,

AGREE:

1. To further efforts to achieve the goal set forth in the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development of ensuring that by the year 2010 the use of renewable energy by the region, taken as a whole, amounts to at least 10% of its total energy consumption on the basis of voluntary efforts and taking into account the diversity of national situations. This percentage may be increased by those countries or sub regions that voluntarily wish to do so;

2. To strengthen cooperation between the countries of the region and the developed countries in promoting economic growth, environmental protection and social equity in accordance with the agreements set forth in the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development;

3. To foster the formulation of the long-term public policies needed to further the development of renewable energy sources, in accordance with the regulatory frameworks in place in each country, with a view to their full and effective integration into the energy matrix, and to encourage private-sector investment as well;

4. To promote, at the level of each country, cooperation with the production sector in order to form alliances and gain more in-depth knowledge of the renewable energy sector;

5. To promote, at the level of each country, policies to stimulate and encourage public or private industrial and agricultural production sectors to adopt production scales and technologies that will ensure the competitiveness of renewable energy demand;

6. To foster the adoption of regulatory and institutional frameworks that incorporate instruments which internalize the social and environmental benefits of renewable energy;

7. To exchange experiences regarding the adoption and implementation of policies for promoting the use of renewable energy, both among the countries of the region and with other regions;

8. To facilitate the training of human resources for, inter alia, the diffusion of technology, the refinement of research and projects, and the provision of installation and technical assistance services, while taking the final users of renewable energy into account as an important component in the training process;

9. To undertake, with the support of the Economic Commission and other international agencies, an exchange of experiences regarding applicable regulatory frameworks for the development of renewable energy sources with a view to the following objectives:

a. Development of a comparative table on regulatory frameworks in the region in relation to specific approaches to the treatment of renewable energy;

b. Formulation of proposals for strengthening the sustainability of existing regulatory frameworks, in accordance with the situation in each country, and for promoting greater energy efficiency;

10. To express strong support at the International Conference for Renewable Energies, to be held in Bonn, Germany, in 2004, for the creation of a technical and financial cooperation fund to facilitate cooperation by industrialized countries with Latin America and the Caribbean in the field of technological development, to permit the reduction of existing costs and to increase investment in renewable energy sources in the countries of the region;

11. To urge financial institutions to finance national, sub regional and regional renewable energy projects;

12. To encourage the development of renewable energy projects and the creation of markets for green tags and carbon emission credits and the execution of tax incentive programs, taking into consideration the positive externalities of renewable sources and the negative impacts of fossil fuels;

13. To formulate public policies that encourage the development of renewable energy markets;

14. To take into account the social needs of the lowest-income sectors in the countries of the region when developing renewable energy markets, while seeking economically viable options for achieving the socially-oriented goals set forth in the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development;

15. To encourage the preparation of comparative studies on centralized versus decentralized energy distribution, with priority being given to small-scale distribution options in areas where this would be advantageous and where the use of local renewable energy resources is feasible;

16. To request the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean to prepare a document on the status of renewable energy in Latin America and the Caribbean for presentation at the International Conference for Renewable Energies and, in accordance with the mandates of the Commission and the resources at its command, to provide support to the countries of the region at the International Conference and in the follow-up and implementation of the agreements reached at that event, including the convening of a regional follow-up conference within the framework of the United Nations;

17. To conduct periodic evaluations of the implementation of this Platform, specifically with respect to the objectives set forth herein, with a view to modifying them as necessary;

18. To declare that this platform for action constitutes a Latin American and Caribbean contribution to the International Conference for Renewable Energies and to instruct the Chairperson to present it at that Conference;

19. To express their appreciation to the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil for having organized the Regional Conference and to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the United Nations Environment Program and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for their support of this forum.

Source: Ministry for Foreign Relations