IRENA at the 80th United Nations General Assembly / Climate Week NYC

New York, USA

The International Renewable Energy (IRENA) engaged in high-level events during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) week to strengthen partnerships at the international level and advance actions to accelerate the global energy transition. This included participation at Climate Week NYC, which took place back-to-back with UNGA and was run in coordination with the UN and the City of New York. This year, on the margins of the 80th UNGA, IRENA partnered with the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) for the second Global Renewables Summit from September 21 to September 23, discussing progress, opportunities, and challenges of tripling renewable energy globally by 2030.

IRENA and Director-General Francesco La Camera participated in the Global Renewables Summit and other events during the Climate Week, co-organising a number of IRENA initiative-led sessions through the Alliance for Industry Decarbonization (AFID) and the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA) where IRENA serves as the Secretariat.

Agenda

New York, NY, USA
10:00 – 11:30 EDT / 18:00 – 19:30 GST

High Level Opening of the Second Global Renewables Summit
The Global Renewables Summit opens during New York Climate Week 2025 with a high-level session on Renewable Energy Abundance, hosted by Climate Group, Fortescue and Global Renewables Alliance. IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera will speak as a panellist. Event by invitation only.

14:00 – 15:30 EDT / 22:00 – 23:30 GST

Roundtable discussion: “Climate Principles to Unlock Capital for Grids” in partnership with GGI
Hosted by Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA) in partnership with the Green Grids Initiative (GGI), this roundtable discussion serves as a consultation on Climate Finance Principles among UNEZA members, and representatives from governments and the financial sector. The event represents a milestone for endorsing standardised principles designed to unlock capital for grid infrastructure financing. The session also offers an opportunity for utilities to collectively voice their ambition to expand and modernise grid infrastructure, and to highlight how the Climate Finance Principles can support and enable that objective.

New York, NY, USA
07:50 – 09:20 EDT / 15:50 – 17:20 GST

GOWA High-Level Ministerial Breakfast Dialogue ‘Offshore Wind at a Turning Point: Securing Clean Power in an Uncertain World Ministerial Session’

This high-level ministerial dialogue will spotlight offshore wind as a catalyst for inclusive economic development and energy security. Bringing together government leaders, international organisations, private sector, and financial institutions, the session will champion offshore wind's role in creating jobs, revitalising coastal economies, and reducing fossil fuel dependency. It will support strengthened global collaboration through GOWA
09:00 – 10:30 EDT / 17:00 – 18:30 GST
Roundtable Discussion ”ROAD TO COP” From Crisis to Opportunity – Building Tomorrow’s Resilient Grid
14:30 – 16:00 EDT / 22:00 – 23:30 GST
Future-Proof Power Systems: Flexibility, Storage, Grids and interconnection
The roundtable explores opportunities to upgrade power systems with emphasis on collective commitments ahead of COP30. Government officials, private sector leaders, and representatives from civil society, academia, and philanthropy will share case studies and best practices on overcoming financing and regulatory barriers, modernising and expanding electricity grids, and advancing international interconnections and cross-border power trading. The session is by invitation only.

New York, NY, USA
14:00 – 15:30 EDT / 22:00 – 23:30 GST
Executive Roundtable Discussion: “Green Hydrogen as a Pathway to Decarbonize Hard-to-Abate industries”
Hosted by the Alliance for Industry Decarbonization (AFID), this roundtable discussion will explore green hydrogen as a pathway to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries. The session will address factors hindering green hydrogen utilisation in industry and share field experience insights. It will highlight the importance of stakeholder collaboration for a sustainable, low-carbon future and will include a launch of a new AFID report, The Building Blocks of Hydrogen Hubs: A Case Study from the Mediterranean Region.
New York, NY, USA
09:00 – 10:00 EDT / 17:00 – 18:00 GST
SDG7 Action Forum 2025
The SDG7 Action Forum brings together UN-Energy leadership to review progress and drive action towards ensuring ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030. The high-level segment will discuss key priorities, highlight necessary actions, and launch the Energy Compact Progress Report 2025. This  platform aims to sustain ongoing momentum through the Energy Compacts and chart the strategic way forward for achieving global sustainable energy goals. IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera will deliver remarks on the Launch of the SDG7 Policy Brief on Employment.