Closing the last mile of energy access

Despite achieving an impressive 97.6% electricity access rate, Latin America and the Caribbean still face a critical last-mile challenge: nearly 16 million people — primarily in remote rural areas and Indigenous communities — remain without electricity.

Traditional grid-expansion approaches have reached their limits, while the technologies and solutions needed to close this gap already exist. The Universal Access Coalition was formed to meet this moment—bringing together global and regional partners to overcome systemic barriers, mobilize financing, enable innovative policies and business models, and link energy access to productive uses and livelihoods. By aligning knowledge, policy, investment, and implementation, the Coalition provides a roadmap to achieve universal, sustainable electricity access across LAC by 2030, ensuring no community is left behind.

The Coalition’s work is organized around five interconnected outcomes:

1. Enhanced knowledge creation and sharing through a dedicated Knowledge Hub that consolidates crucial data, best practices, and tools
2. Strengthened policy and regulatory environments that enable innovative solutions at national and regional levels
3. Increased technical capacity among key stakeholders to plan, implement, and operate new approaches
4. Improved livelihoods through energy access linked to productive uses and income generation
5. Mobilized human and financial resources to catalyze transformative change