Lima, Peru, 16 July 2015 Government officials, representatives from laboratories, universities, utilities, civil society organizations, lighting and luminaire manufacturers, and from the recycling industry gathered on 16 July 2015 in Lima, Peru, to kick-off the development of Peru’s National Efficient Lighting Strategy.

The Efficient Lighting Strategy of Peru will be a cornerstone in achieving the objectives of the national GEF funded project, “Lighting Market Transformation in Peru”, led by the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines with support from the UNEP-GEF en.lighten initiative.

H. E. Raúl Pérez-Reyes, Deputy Minister of Energy, opened the event stating the need to promote a sustainable market for efficient lighting products in Peru, taking advantage of the huge energy savings to be achieved and the decrease in cost of the highly efficient LED technology.

The Peru-GEF-UNEP project will contribute to: (1) strengthening the national regulatory framework promoting a sustainable efficient lighting market, (2) establishing an effective verification and quality control system for lighting products, (3) establishing a framework for the environmentally sound management of used lighting products, and (4) enhancing stakeholders’ awareness on the benefits of advanced lighting.

Lighting is responsible for close to 15% of annual electricity consumption in the country. According to the Deputy Minister of Energy “lamp replacement by more efficient technologies will not only help mitigating climate change, but it will also mean considerable financial savings for Peruvian families”.

Participants at the event expressed concern about the low quality and performance of some efficient technologies available on the market, which could undermine consumer confidence in LEDs. Hence the standardization and market surveillance that this project is to institute will be fundamental in ensuring a sustainable market lighting market transformation in Peru.

The UN Secretary General’s SE4ALL initiative identified lighting as a key priority to promote energy efficiency and mitigate climate change through its Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform. Advanced lighting is critical to reduce electricity bills and greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy security, and trade balances. The UNEP-GEF en.lighten initiative is also working with governments in Central America and the Dominican Republic, Chile, and Bolivia to accelerate the market transformation to advanced lighting.

For additional information please contact Gustavo Mañez, en.lighten Project Manager, at:gustavo.manez@unep.org.