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APEC Energy Ministers Launch the Darwin Declaration

May 29, 2007 by Jeff Shepard

After two days of meetings, the eighth APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Energy Ministers’ Meeting in Darwin has concluded with the release of the ’Darwin Declaration’, recognizing the need to deploy cleaner, more efficient and sustainable energy technologies.

"This is a landmark achievement for the APEC member economies," Australian Industry Minister and Chair of the meeting, Ian Macfarlane. Energy Ministers from across the 21 economies have agreed to a number of ways forward to achieve energy security and sustainable development. The decisions and deliberations we have had, particularly in relation to clean development and climate, will be an integral part of broader considerations undertaken by APEC Leaders when they meet in Sydney in September 2007. The future prosperity of the APEC region relies on securing energy supplies, and on clean and efficient energy production and use."

Key outcomes featured an agreement to improve energy efficiency through a range of measures, including the establishment of an Energy Investment & Trade Study and Roundtable, and a voluntary APEC Energy Peer Review Mechanism to improve the operations of energy markets. The Declaration looks at emergency preparedness to ensure that APEC economies manage the consequences of short-term supply disruptions, improving oil data sharing and cooperation with other international energy organizations. It also looked at developing best practice towards energy efficient transportation, intensifying efforts to develop and deploy techniques for the cost-effective use of non-food feedstocks and encouraged international collaboration on alternative fuels.