Minister Benn represents Guyana at UNASUR Energy Council meeting
Georgetown GINA, May 21, 2012
Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn (front row second from left) represented Guyana last week at the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) third meeting of the bloc's Energy Council, in Caracas, Venezuela
Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn represented Guyana on Friday last at the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) third meeting of the bloc's Energy Council, in Caracas, Venezuela at which the Council agreed to create an ad hoc group which raises proposals to draft the South American Energy Treaty and defend resources of the region.
The ad hoc group will work coordinately with experts in the energy sector and will give joint reports to the South American Energy Council.
It was agreed that members of the group will be appointed by the Governments of UNASUR member states and results will be released in the next meeting of the Council.
The committee will review the regulation proposal of the Group of Experts on Energy (GEE), submitted in the 12th meeting of this group in AsunciÓn, Paraguay.
The Energy Council agreed to ratify the instruction to the GEE to continue working with the advisory of OLADE (Latin American Energy Organization) to carry out activities which boost energy integration in the region. As such, the GEE was ordered to continue working on the 15 points of the South American energy strategy, the Grand National enterprise and the dialog OPEC-UNASUR.
Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn (far left) at the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) third meeting of the bloc's Energy Council, in Caracas, Venezuela
Apart from the Ministerial Council on Energy, UNASUR formed in May 2008, has seven other councils Ministerial councils that deal with: Fight against drug trafficking; Health; Education, Culture, Science , Technology and Innovation; Defence; Economy and Finances; and Infrastructure and Planning.
UNASUR investigations institute
A group of experts will analyse the possibility of creating an investigations’ institute of UNASUR, which is intended to boost participation of the best talents in matters of energy in the region; student exchange; and make easier the region's technological training and development.
The same group will appoint a committee of work and energy planning aimed at identifying energy structural projects of UNASUR. The Energy Council has also agreed to hold in Caracas, a first encounter of state-run oil and gas companies to take place before the next summit of UNASUR.
Additionally, there will be a first encounter of state-run electricity companies in the city of Bogota, Colombia, in order to exchange experiences and boost ‘complementariness’, as well as a first encounter of energetic technology in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to boost technology-energy exchange among the member states.
The UNASUR Energy Council reiterated the support and sovereign right of member states to manage its natural resources, guaranteeing national energy security, as a public interest.