Energy ministers from the Ibero-American states on Wednesday called for the utilization of renewable energy to ensure the energy security in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Using energy more effectively will completely benefit sustainable growth in the region, the ministers agreed at the end of a two-day conference.

Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez said some countries had been left behind in using oil and natural gas resources, but some of them had managed to tap hydropower and wind power.

It is a primary task to responsibly manage and more wisely use the current and potential energy resources rather than to waste them, he said.

According to a document issued by the UN Industrial Development Organization, up to 55 million people have no access to electricity in the Latin American and Caribbean region, where there are abundant renewable energy resources.

The document urged the nations in the region to make full use of renewable energy to facilitate sustainable growth.

The ministerial conference was one of the preparatory meetings for the 16th Ibero-American Summit scheduled for Nov. 3-5 in Montevideo.

Source: Xinhua