Energy Community Gathers at IRENA’s 7th Assembly

From 14 to 15 January 2017, the seventh session of the Assembly of IRENA gathered 3 heads of state, 75 ministers, government officials from over 150 countries, and representatives from the private sector, civil society and other international organisations. As IRENA’s ultimate decision-making authority, the Assembly brought together the international community to reaffirm the global renewable energy agenda and make concrete steps to accelerate the global energy transition.

Taking place at the St. Regis Saadiyat Hotel in Abu Dhabi, with a day of preliminary meetings and discussions on 13 January, the Assembly focused on the critical role of renewable energy in combating climate change, expanding energy access and meeting global sustainable development goals.

The Mozambican Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Letícia Klemens, has been participating in the seventh session of the General Assembly of IRENA, seeking to attract more investment in renewable energies to Mozambique.

The minister’s participation in the event, held under the banner “Global Transformation of the Energy System”, was also an opportunity for Mozambique to display its enormous potential in terms of renewable energy.

It was the Mozambique government’s aim to ensure policies contribute to the sustainable development of the national energy sector, Klemens said.

“Under the Renewable Energy Development Policy, we want to increase the number of renewable energy projects in the country, and for this we have national and foreign investment, so you are invited to move forward with proposals for our country,” she said.

The main challenges identified were the need to adjust the political, strategic and regulatory framework in order to attract more investors, deepening the integration of renewable energies into the national electricity system and, finally, the development of isolated systems models based on renewable energy systems.

The International Renewable Energy Agency, the African Development Bank and development partners have shown their willingness to provide technical and financial support for these actions identified by Mozambique, which has been a full member of the International Renewable Energy Agency since 2010.

This year’s Assembly designated Uruguay as President of next year’s eighth session, and the Afghanistan, Nigeria, Norway, and Sudan as Vice-Presidents.

For more information about IRENA’s 7th Assembly please click here.