1. History

2. Aims

3. Member states

4. Institutional Structure
     The Assembly    The Council    The Secretariat  

5. United Nations

6. Senior Management
     Director General    Director, Strategic Management and Executive Direction  

7. See also

8. References

9. Further reading

10. External links

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organization to promote adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. It was founded in 2009 and its statute entered into force on 8 July 2010. The agency is headquartered in Abu Dhabi.^[1] The Director-General of IRENA is Adnan Amin, a national of Kenya.^[2] IRENA is an official United Nations observer.^[3]

History

The first suggestions for an international renewable agency is based on the 1980 Brandt Report activities. NGOs and industry lobbying groups like Eurosolar,^[4] the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) and the World Wind Energy Association have promoted IRENA since several decades.^[5] In 1990, the Austrian government of Franz Vranitzky suggested a reneweables agency to the UN.^[6] One of the drivers was Hermann Scheer, a German politician and lobbyist which was acting as president of EUROSOLAR and chair of WCRE.^[6]

On 15 June, at their annual event, the WWEA gave their 2010 World Wind Energy Award to the Founding member States of IRENA. They stated: "The creation of IRENA can be seen as the most important decision ever taken on the global level in favour of renewable energy. The founding of IRENA sent out a very strong signal to the world community that renewable energy will have to play and will play a key role in the future energy supply all over the world. With the Award, WWEA would also like to indicate that WWEA is committed to work closely with IRENA and will continue to give its full support."^[7]

Since 1981, several meetings took place to discuss the formation of IRENA. The Preparatory Conference for founding IREA was held on 10 and 11 April 2008 with 54 countries participating. Here, government representatives discussed the objectives, activities, finances, and organizational structure of IRENA. Participants expressed a need to begin a swift transition to a more secure, sustainable renewable energy economy with the assistance of an international body.^[8]

The Founding Conference of the International Renewable Energy Agency was held in Bonn, Germany, on 26 January 2009. 75 countries signed the Agency's statute. The statute entered into force on 8 July 2010, 30 days after the 25th country deposited its instrument of ratification. The Founding Conference established the Preparatory Commission for IRENA, which consists of all signatory states.{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}

During the first session of the Preparatory Commission in Bonn on 27 January 2009, the signatory countries adopted criteria and procedures for selecting IRENA's Interim Director-General and its interim headquarters. An Administrative Committee was created to assist the Commission in preparing its second session. The Administrative Committee prepared draft proposals for an interim work programme and budget as well as for interim staff regulations and interim financial rules.^[9] Nominations for the Interim Director-General and the interim headquarters were submitted by 30 April 2009.^[10]

The second session of the Preparatory Commission met in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 29–30 June 2009, to elect the Interim Director General and decide the location of IRENA's interim headquarters. It was decided, that the interim headquarters will be located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The UAE thus became the first developing country to host a major international organisation. In addition, an innovation and technology center will be located in Bonn, and an office dedicated to liaising with the United Nations and other international institutions will be located in Vienna.^[11][12] Hélène Pelosse was elected as the Interim Director-General.^[13] The second session of the Preparatory Commission also adopted an interim work programme and budget as well as for interim staff regulations and interim financial rules.

The fourth session of the Preparatory Commission on 24–25 October 2010 in Abu Dhabi appointed Kenyan representative Adnan Amin, Deputy Interim Director-General, to perform functions of Interim Director-General after resignation of Hélène Pelosse.^[14][15] On 4 April 2011, Adnan Amin was sworn in as the first Director-General.

The agency has staged a number of events bringing together member states for interaction on ways and means of furthering renewable energy, and conducted significant research and development into viable solutions for the future. On 8 September 2014, IRENA published a notable report on its works titled REthinking energy, which encouraged "speedier adoption of renewable energy technologies," as "the most feasible route to reduce carbon emissions and avoid catastrophic climate change." The study set out to gauge the global power sector and establish how technological advances, economic growth and climate change are transforming it. "A convergence of social, economic and environmental forces are transforming the global energy system as we know it. But if we continue on the path we are currently on and fuel our growing economies with outmoded ways of thinking and acting, we will not be able avoid the most serious impacts of climate change," Director-General Amin said at a function to release the report.^[16]

The Ninth Meeting of International Renewable Energy Agency Council was held on 10–11 June 2015 at Abu Dhabi.^[17]

Aims

IRENA aims to become the main driving force in promoting a transition towards the use of renewable energy on a global scale:

Acting as the global voice for renewable energies, IRENA will provide practical advice and support for both industrialised and developing countries, help them improve their regulatory frameworks and build capacity. The agency will facilitate access to all relevant information including reliable data on the potential of renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms and state-of-the-art technological expertise.

IRENA provides advice and support to governments on renewable energy policy, capacity building, and technology transfer. IRENA will also co-ordinate with existing renewable energy organizations, such as REN21.^[18]

Member states

The statute to gain IRENA membership requires that a state be a member of the United Nations and to regional intergovernmental economic-integration organizations. States that gain membership to IRENA must uphold the organizations statute to the best of its abilities.^[19]

As of March 2019, 160 states and the European Union are members of IRENA, and a further 23 are in the process of accession.^[20][21]

In January 9th, 2019, Canada became IRENA's 160th member.^[22]

Institutional Structure

The Assembly

This assembly is IRENA's main institutional governing body, which includes one delegate from each member state.^[23] The assembly meets once yearly to discuss all IRENA management including things such as budget, membership applications and yearly goals.^[24] The 9th Assembly took place in January 2019 with the 10th Assembly scheduled for the 11th and 12th of January in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.^[25]

The Council

The IRENA council is composed of 21 elected officials from member states, who each serve for two-year terms and must answer to the assembly.^[26] Council members rotate between states to ensure an efficient and fair representation of various member country sizes, geographic location, rates of development and particular concerns. The council deals directly with IRENA matters related to budgeting and annual reports. ^[27]

The Secretariat

This is the executive branch of IRENA and consists of the Director-General and his staff. The secretariat acts as oversight to the council and assembly and offers technical support to these governing bodies.^[28]

United Nations

Hélène Pelosse, former Interim Director General of IRENA, met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during 2009 Climate week in New York City, and together with Mr Ban explored future fields of cooperation between IRENA and various UN bodies. IRENA also seeks to cooperate with the UN and associated organisations like the United Nations University, UNESCO, the World Bank, GEF, UNIDO, UNDP, UNEP, and WTO in the areas of education and training, financing, access to energy, potential studies and trade.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

Senior Management

Director General

The first and current director-general of IRENA is Director General Adnan Z. Amin, a Kenyan national.^[29] He was elected to the post in April 2011 and is currently serving is second term.^[30] He previously spent more than 25 years in the development of international environment and sustainable development policy, and worked in political, management, and interagency coordination areas of the United Nations. He was Head of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) Secretariat.^[31] Along with his work as Secretariat, Mr. Amin also served as the Director of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) at their New York office and as Special Representative of the UNEP Executive Director where he played a crucial role in reviewing international governance and his organizations participation at the World Summit of Sustainable Development.^[32]

During his time as Director General of IRENA, the organization has been directly involved in the implementation of policies such as the Paris Agreement, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the G7 and G20.^[33] IRENA's membership has also grown to include nearly all countries world-wide.^[34]

Director, Strategic Management and Executive Direction

Mohamed El - Farnawany is the current Director of Strategic Management and Executive Direction and acting Chief of staff of IRENA. He began his work with IRENA in October 2011, as Secretary of the Governing Bodies and has grown to control most of IRENA's operations including communicative and legal affair sectors.^[35] Before his work with IRENA, MR. Farnawany acted as Egypt's Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Chief of Mission in Paris.^[36]

See also

• American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
• Energy development
• Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP)
• International Energy Agency
• International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation
• International Renewable Energy Conference
• Hans Jørgen Koch
• Lists about renewable energy
• List of energy storage projects
• REEEP
• Renewable Energy Policy Network(REN21)
• Renewable energy commercialization
• Renewable energy in the European Union
• Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation
• Repower America
• Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
• United Nations Environment Organization
• Keeling Curve

References

Further reading

• [https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2018/Jan/IRENA_2017_Power_Costs_2018.pdf Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2017] (2018) by IRENA
• Clean Tech Nation: How the U.S. Can Lead in the New Global Economy (2012) by Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder
• Deploying Renewables 2011 (2011) by the International Energy Agency
• Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era (2011) by Amory Lovins
• Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (2011) by the IPCC
• Solar Energy Perspectives (2011) by the International Energy Agency

External links

• {{Official website|http://irena.org/}}

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