Quito, May 20, 1998
Background
Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, at which the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed, the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) has been examining the question of what type of activities would be appropriate for it to undertake, given the importance of energy issues to the Convention. In fact, since the Climate Convention entered into force, many cooperation institutions linked to the issue have made contacts with the Permanent Secretariat of OLADE seeking to develop projects related to greenhouse gases.
In the period from 1993 to 1996, the Permanent Secretariat of OLADE informed its bodies (Meeting of Ministers and the Control and Monitoring Committee) about the management of these projects. On these occasions, the member countries of the Organization expressed opinions that such projects do not correspond to the priorities of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in the area of energy.
In the Andean Subregional Workshop, held in Quito, Ecuador, on May 15th and 16th, 1997 under the UNEP/GEF Project "Economic Aspects of Limitation of Greenhouse Gases", some countries indicated that undertaking greenhouse gas mitigation activities would be appropriate to the extent that they would help to resolve important problems of the Region, through for example reducing poverty and contributing to sustainable economic development.
With the goal of broadening, at the technical level, the official position of OLADE about the issue of greenhouse gases, the recommendation was made at the XXII Meeting of the Control and Monitoring Committee, held in Quito in February of 1997, to convene a technical meeting, and this recommendation was ratified at the XXVIII Meeting of Ministers of OLADE in Montevideo in November of 1997.
During the Technical Meeting in Quito on May 20th, 1998, the following considerations, criteria, and recommendations were established, in order to serve as the basis for cooperative activities of OLADE in questions of greenhouse gases.
Considerations
The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are not listed in Annex I of the Convention, and therefore do not have quantified targets for greenhouse gas reduction, as set out in Article 4.2 (a) of the Convention and the text of the Protocol agreed to in Kyoto in December, 1997.
The Member Countries of OLADE desire to maintain an active participation in all the processes of the Convention and consider it important to be involved in actions linked to meeting the objectives of the Convention.
Criteria
To promote and manage competitive and self-sustaining projects in energy efficiency, clean technologies, new and renewable sources of energy, increase in the efficiency of the energy sector and coverage of energy services, reduction of environmental impact and improvements in quality of life. Additionally, OLADE will prepare an inventory of technologies required to implement these types of projects.
Implementation of the projects mentioned in the above item could avoid new emissions of greenhouse gases, however, this does not mean that the member country of OLADE is assuming new commitments under the Convention.
The Organization should undertake evaluation, and where possible quantification, of any economic, social and environmental impacts which countries of Annex I, in meeting their commitments as set out in the text of the Protocol agreed to at Kyoto in December 1997, would have in our countries, whether by direct measures in their own territories or through the use of the flexibility mechanisms set out in this Protocol (joint implementation between Annex I countries, emissions trading between Annex I countries, or the Clean Development Mechanism).
Recommendations
The Secretariat of OLADE will determine the additional cost of and alternatives for financing these activities and projects, in order to submit, for the decision of the Meeting of Ministers, proposals for budget allocations of the Organization, as well as any new actions that may be necessary for the purposes of putting these recommendations into practice.
At the national level, the energy sector of the member countries of OLADE will strengthen their inter-institutional linkages, in order to explicitly consider the issues related to this sector in the context of the international negotiations concerning greenhouse gases.
The Organization will conduct a study of emissions of greenhouse gases from production, transport, transformation and consumption of energy in the region over the last 30 years, in order to compare changes in certain indicators (emissions per capita, per unit of PIB, etc.) with other regions, especially with those of the industrialized countries.
It is interesting for the member countries of OLADE that, when the operating rules of the Clean Development Mechanism set out in the Kyoto Protocol, the Secretariat provides information about the requirements for establishing the eligibility and certification of projects. In this way, within its competence, the Secretariat will provide the required assistance to the member countries in the planning of their projects.
The Secretariat of OLADE will incorporate the criteria established in this document in delineating the eligibility of projects.
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