UNEP Applauds IRENA As New Key Clean Energy Catalyst

Renewable energy was given a boost with the opening of the first General Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) which opened in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

The two-day meeting with 800 delegates from 150 countries confirmed in its first session that Abu Dhabi would host the new intergovernmental organization that will advocate for renewable energy worldwide.

Established two years ago, IRENA is backed by both the developed and developing world as a key new catalyst towards the expansion of renewable energy.

Abu Dhabi will now be IRENA's HQ: The city prides itself on sustainable urban development and has been at the forefront of renewable energy events and initiatives. It hosts the World Future Energy Summit and the Zayed Future Energy Prize for distinguished achievements in the areas of renewable energy and sustainability.

The desert city is also the home of the Masdar initiative, an international center launched five years ago to develop new clean technology and renewable energy in and beyond the urban environment while raising awareness in the private sector and in academia on the solutions renewable energy offers.

"UNEP looks forward to working in close partnership with IRENA in mainstreaming renewable energy worldwide. This is a key sector of UNEP's Green Economy work and both agency are natural allies in accelerating a transition at the national and global level in order to meet the multiple goals of sustainable development, poverty eradication, green growth and decent job generation," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).