Minister for Finance, Planning, Economy, Energy and Cooperatives, Hon. V. Nazim Burke and a team of Senior Government Officials, are currently in Barbados attending a High Level Conference of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on Achieving Sustainable Energy For All, in Barbados. This Conference is being co-hosted by the Government of Barbados and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Minister Burke is expected to be a lead Discussant for the session on Enabling Environment and Financing Sustainable Energy for All SIDS, today, Tuesday, 8 May 2012. Dr. Hugh Sealy, Adviser to Government on Energy and Sustainable Development, was the Moderator for the session on Doubling the Rate of Improvement in Energy Efficiency in SIDS by 2030 on Monday, 7 May 2012. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2012 the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.” As such, the Secretary-General has launched a Sustainable Energy for All (SEFA) initiative to identify and mobilize action by stakeholders from across government, business, civil society, academia and the development community. In addition, the Secretary General has established a High-level Group draw up an Action Agenda, to be launched ahead of the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 (Rio+20), on the basis of which all stakeholders can make concrete commitments to move the world toward sustainable energy for all by 2030. As a means of moving forward this Agenda, the Barbados Conference will seek to: ü Establish awareness and understanding of SIDS conditions and perspectives on sustainable energy for all (SEFA); ü Articulate SIDS commitment to support SEFA and convey SIDS support of SEFA as a core element of the three pillars of sustainable development (Social, Economic, and Environmental); ü Build awareness in governments and their institutions for the formulation of required policies and their enforcement in order to regulate the market and to attract investments into affordable and sustainable energy services; and ü Foster recognition by governments and their institutions of the importance of identifying potential areas for doubling energy efficiencies, as well as development of alternative energy sources. The conference will also provide an opportunity to discuss support to the SEFA targets and commitments as one outcome of Rio+20, and contribute to the discussion on the potential establishment of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and related global monitoring mechanisms. According to Conference organisers, the expected outcome of the Conference “is a Declaration which would describe the realities and opportunities of SEFA from the SIDS perspective. It would seek to provide a clear statement of the unique circumstances, vulnerabilities and needs of SIDS, and articulate SIDS support and commitments towards the three SEFA objectives, in the lead up to and at the Rio+20 conference……. The conference will also raise awareness on SIDS approaches to sustainable energy access and its impacts on people’s lives. It will provide a networking opportunity to share successful experiences and exchange information on sustainable energy initiatives between regions (Caribbean, Pacific, and AIMS region), countries, private sector, and civil society.”