The International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) 14th Assembly kicked off Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, from 16-18 April 2024.
The meetings, presided over by Rwanda, gather more than 1,300 participants from 144 countries, including Ministers, industry leaders, and CEOs to chart a strategic way forward across countries, regions, and the world, in light of the findings of the first Global Stocktake at COP28.
Under the theme “Outcome of COP28: Infrastructure, Policies, and Skills for Tripling Renewables and Accelerating the Energy Transition”, the 2024 Assembly will explore priorities for the energy transition and immediate steps to accelerate progress towards tripling renewable power capacity to at least 11 terawatts (TW) by 2030.
IRENA’s latest capacity data shows that the world is still falling short, with 473 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable power capacity deployed in 2023, compared to almost 1,100 GW of renewable power capacity required annually.
“The energy transition is accelerating rapidly, but it clearly remains off track, with an unacceptable uneven distribution of renewable growth that still disproportionately affects the Global South,” said IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera.
“We need an urgent global course-correction to address this growing disparity, or we risk our collective climate goal to triple renewable power capacity by 2030 becoming simply unattainable.”
“As the global community convenes at the IRENA Assembly, we have the opportunity to prioritise and narrow down our collective actions to overcoming the structural and systemic barriers that are impeding progress,” he added.
For his part, 14th IRENA Assembly President and Rwanda’s Minister of Infrastructure, Dr Jimmy Gasore, stated: “Achieving our climate goals necessitates collective recognition that the energy transition is not just about technological change but also about ensuring equity and justice. As we gather in Abu Dhabi, let us utilise the convening power of the IRENA Assembly to ensure that the benefits of the energy transition are universally accessible, prioritising the needs of the most marginalised communities.”
Given the urgent need for extraordinary levels of political momentum and international cooperation, several Ministerial and High-level sessions will be convened as part of the Assembly session, as well as during the Pre-Assembly Day, on 16 April 2024.
Discussions will focus on addressing investment challenges, innovation, infrastructure, regional cooperation, policy framework and private sector engagement.
In line with the inclusive nature of discussions, the Legislators Forum, Public-Private Dialogue, and Youth Forum also convene today, to provide opportunities for insights from key stakeholders to contribute to the work of the Assembly.
