Parliamentarians meet at the side lines of COP27 to discussion regional energy co-operation in South Asia
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under its flagship regional energy program South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP), in partnership with Climate Parliament, organized a daylong ‘South Asian Parliamentarian’s Roundtable on Regional Energy Cooperation’ on November 8, 2022, at Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt on the side lines of COP27.
The roundtable saw active participation of Members of Parliament (MPs) from BBINS (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka) countries in addition to international energy experts and representatives of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). Energy experts from International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), European Climate Foundation, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), University College London, USAID, and Climate Parliament were part of the discussions. They discussed and deliberated upon the role of regional energy co-operation in advancing energy transition, current challenges and opportunities for advancing cross border energy trade (CBET) in South Asia, successful international experiences from Europe and Africa, and framework for regional energy cooperation and CBET in South Asia.
Participants also discussed in a focused manner the idea and role of “Regional Parliamentary Forum on Energy Cooperation & Energy Trade in South Asia”. The MPs felt a regional network of parliamentarians such as Regional Parliamentary Forum (RPF) will be very helpful in advancing the cause of energy cooperation and accelerating energy trade in the region. Various ideas and suggestions on taking the RPF emerged from the fruitful discussion.
