With a vision focused on capacity building and regional technical cooperation, the Community of Practice on Metahe (COEMLAC) was officially launched. This initiative, spearheaded by OEMLAC, aims to boost regional action on reducing methane emissions through the exchange of knowledge and experiences regarding measurement, monitoring, reporting, planning, and implementation of mitigation actions in the energy sector.
Leadership and Regional Vision
The launch was led by Andrés Rebolledo Smitmans, Executive Secretary of OLACDE, who highlighted the value of COEMLAC as a strategic complement to the work the organization carries out with its 27 member countries, strengthening capacities, regional coordination, and technical cooperation.
The event featured presentations by international leaders who highlighted the urgency and opportunity to accelerate the mitigation of methane emissions through an evidence-based approach:
- Tim Gould, Chief Energy Economist, International Energy Agency (IEA)
- Jonathan Banks, Global Director of the Methane Pollution Prevention Programme, Clean Air Task Force (CATF)
- Andreea Calcan, Interim Director, International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO de UNEP)
- Henrique Bezerra, Regional Director, Global Methane Hub (GMH)
- Gastón Siroit, OEMLAC Director (OLACDE)
Support that is reflected in the numbers
Although the official launch took place today, COEMLAC has been in the works since 2025, beginning with an initial call for participation that helped establish a regional foundation. To date, the community has 170 registered professionals from 30 countries, representing a wide range of sectors:
- 72 registrants affiliated with government agencies
- 51 representatives from companies in the energy sector
- 23 experts from academia and research centers
- Sectors represented: oil and gas, mining, waste management, and agriculture
Tools for Action: Integration with CapevLAC
One of the key announcements at the launch was the integration of COEMLAC with CapevLAC, OLACDE’s Energy Training Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is recognized for its track record and maturity in managing regional training content and processes. In this context, COEMLAC will use CapevLAC’s Moodle environment as the community’s document and audiovisual repository to ensure the traceability and continuity of its activities. This integration will provide participants with permanent access to exchange sessions, webinars, reports, technical materials, and learning paths, in line with regional priorities.
Please note that registration for COEMLAC is still open, and you can sign up via the following link. We invite you to learn more about the Community in the Menu: COEMLAC
