17th Council of IRENA

More than 360 government representatives from 116 countries had gathered in Abu Dhabi to attend the 17thCouncil of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

During the Council, the Agency presented key findings from its most recent work on power generation costs and the global energy transformation pathway that supports the achievement of the Paris Agreement. The meeting also hosted discussions around the importance of long-term energy planning, the socio-economic benefits of the energy transformation and how decentralised renewable energy solutions support energy access and sustainable development.

At the end, the IRENA Director-General, Francesco La Camera highlighted that electrification fueled by renewables and energy efficiency is the only ready and real instrument we have to be in line with the Paris Agreement goals. Referring that thanks to sharply falling technology costs and enabling policies, renewable energy is the backbone of energy decarbonisation and a central climate action tool.

During the meeting, the IRENA’s Director-General presented a progress report, highlighting the efforts, achievements and support IRENA has given its Members so far this year. The Agency’s 21 elected Council members also discussed the content and focus of the Agency’s future work as part of IRENA’s Work Programme and Budget for 2020-2021.

The 17thCouncil also included the signature of a new partnership between IRENA and the Ministry of Education of the UAE to cooperate on the integration of renewable energy and sustainable development into the national education system.

The agreement identifies areas of cooperation between the two entities to introduce training initiatives around low-carbon forms of energy into federal education. The cooperation aims to promote and support the achievement of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the UAE and around the world, namely SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy for all) and SDG 13 (climate action).

Composed of 21 IRENA Members, the Council meets twice annually to facilitate cooperation among Members, oversee implementation of the IRENA work programme and complete substantive preparations for the Agency’s annual Assembly.

Know more about this year Council here.