Improving Accountability Toward Energy Efficiency Goals: A Latin American & Caribbean Perspective

Enhanced international cooperation is critical to achieving the first global stocktake (GST) target of doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. Energy efficiency is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of the energy transition. At the same time, implementation remains fragmented, and progress is insufficient. Energy efficiency improvements depend on coordinated action across multiple sectors, institutions, and stakeholders, requiring strong governance and accountability arrangements to translate ambition into measurable results. International cooperative initiatives (ICIs) with a regional focus can bridge the gap between global ambition and national implementation. The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE)’s Energy Efficiency Initiative is emerging as a regional, country-led effort that can help translate global stocktake-aligned objectives into practical action across Latin America and the Caribbean and track progress against those objectives.

The restructuring of the Global Climate Action Agenda (GCAA) at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) has strengthened expectations for accountability by ICIs. Through improved ICI arrangements, Parties (i.e., signatory countries to the Paris Agreement) and non-Party stakeholders (NPS) work together to achieve climate-related goals, creating new opportunities to improve follow-through on voluntary commitments. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) undertook a desktop review of seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and four intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) to assess three elements of accountability embedded in energy efficiency governance: (i) target setting and policy objectives; (ii) institutional arrangements; and (iii) monitoring and evaluation.

The review finds that energy efficiency is widely recognized as a policy priority across LAC, but it is not yet consistently embedded within accountability frameworks. While institutional arrangements are relatively well developed, few countries have adopted quantified targets linked to nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and monitoring and evaluation remains the weakest accountability element. For example, including energy efficiency in NDCs and supporting national instruments can demonstrate how countries intend to decouple economic growth from emissions to achieve development objectives. It provides greater visibility on implementation pathways and can help build confidence among investors, development partners, and others, in a country’s long-term transition strategy.

These gaps create an opportunity for OLACDE to strengthen regional accountability through peer learning, ministerial engagement, and progress tracking across member countries. This paper recommends strengthening accountability at both the national and regional levels through improved target setting, governance arrangements, and monitoring and reporting systems.