Guatemala has been selected to hold the Pro Tempore presidency of the Latin American and Caribbean Renewables (RELAC) initiative for 2026. The announcement was made during the Declaration of Belém at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Víctor Hugo Ventura, Guatemala’s Minister of Energy and Mines, accepted the presidency on behalf of his country. Guatemala will share this leadership role with Uruguay starting January 1, 2026.
During the meeting, Germany pledged financial support for RELAC. The German government committed 3 million euros for the initiative and an additional 12 million euros to be invested in renewable energy projects. These funds are intended to help RELAC member countries reach a target of producing 80 percent of their electricity from renewable sources.
The Declaration includes several agreements aimed at advancing regional energy goals. These include promoting harmonized policies and regulatory frameworks that enable the adoption of new technologies for modernizing and optimizing electric grids; strengthening and adopting financial mechanisms to increase investments in electrical networks; and recognizing the importance of interconnection networks for developing resilient, low-carbon energy systems alongside improved storage capabilities.
Key participants at the event included Marcelino Madrigal and Tomás Serebriski from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Dan Jannik Jørgensen—European Union High Commissioner for Energy and Housing—Rony Rodríguez, Costa Rica’s Vice Minister of Environment and Energy, and Jorge Islas, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Energy.
Additionally, the event saw the launch of the Power Transmission Acceleration Platform (PTAP), which was developed with support from Germany.
"The minister Víctor Hugo Ventura received the presidency that Guatemala will share with Uruguay starting January 1, 2026."
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