UAE’s Cooperation Has Supported IRENA’s Renewable Energy Efforts: Director-General Of IRENA

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 25th Jun, 2019) Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA, stated that the cooperation between the UAE and IRENA has supported the agency’s efforts to hasten the adoption of renewable energy solutions around the world.

In an interview with the Emirates news Agency, WAM, La Camera said that the UAE has cooperated with IRENA in many initiatives and projects, including on its latest renewable energy report, titled, "Analysing the Renewable Energy Market: GCC Countries 2019."

He added that the UAE has helped promote the use of renewable energy around the world while stressing that IRENA will continue supporting its member countries in adopting renewable energy and attracting investments to the sector.

During the coming period, the agency will help countries benefit from renewable energy technologies and offer the necessary support, he further added while pointing out that renewable energy is key to reducing carbon emissions, due to the low cost of relevant technologies and adopting related policies.

The two-day meeting of the 17th IRENA Council, which began today in Abu Dhabi, with the attendance of nearly 360 government representatives from 116 countries, is being held days before the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting, a key preparatory meeting for the United Nations Climate Action Summit that will be held in September in New York City.

The participants of the council’s meeting discussed the long-term strategic importance of the energy sector, the economic and social benefits of renewable energy, and the role of decentralised solutions to achieving sustainable energy and development.

During the meeting, IRENA explained the outcomes of its recent research on energy costs, and its predictions on the global transformation to renewable energy, to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The council consists of 21 IRENA members and is held bi-annually, to strengthen the cooperation between its members, follow the implementation of its working programme, and complete the preparations for the annual meeting of the agency’s General Assembly.

IRENA was founded on January 26th, 2009, during a conference in Bonn, Germany, when 75 countries joined the agency. The historic first session of the IRENA General Assembly was held in 2011 and witnessed the announcement that the UAE will be the agency’s permanent headquarters.