On April 1, DPAD in coordination with UDAPE, the Economic and Social Policy Analysis Unit of the Ministry of Planning and Development in Bolivia, organized the conference “Economy, energy and development” as a forum to communicate results of two years of capacity development projects that have benefitted the country, namely in the strengthening of capacities to build and use modelling tools to inform sustainable development strategies.

Based on the training activities in which government officials acquired skills to design, run, interpret, and communicate results of simulations in economy-wide models, the OSEMOSYS energy systems model, and the LEAP energy balancing-planning framework, the trainees made presentations that addressed both contributions and limitations to key features of Bolivia’s Plan for Economic and Social Development 2016-2020 (PDES).The policy notes that were presented dealt with four main issues: 1) the energy and economy-wide impacts of energy and infrastructure investments; 2) energy efficiency and growth goals; 3) energy trade, fossil fuel reserves, and electricity generation; and 4). climate change. Each of the policy notes was prepared collaboratively with cross-ministerial teams.

As a continuation of this effort, DPAD and UDAPE will select six notes to be presented in three cabinet meetings starting on 11 May 2016, and selected policy notes will form part of the chapters in Bolivia’s first energy plan. Furthermore, capacity development activities in the use of modelling tools will continue with the implementation of Development Account project ROA 260 in which the current economy-wide model will be extended to include climate change issues, poverty and human development.