IRENA Coalition for Action - Annual Strategy Meeting

On 17 January, the first Annual Strategy Meeting of the Coalition for Action* took place in conjunction with the seventh session of the IRENA Assembly and the World Future Energy Summit. Out of the current 54 Coalition members, a total of 19 organisations gathered at the IRENA Headquarters in Abu Dhabi for a full-day of discussions on the future direction of the Coalition.

The meeting started with participants recognising that the context, in which the Coalition operates, has developed markedly since it was formed in 2014. While the original intent of the Coalition — to bolster public support for renewables — is still relevant, Coalition members agreed that the strategic direction, as well as the vision and mission of the Coalition, shall be revised to reflect its current operating context and expectations e.g. the urgent need to scale up renewable energy investments to drive the energy transition forward.

Throughout the day, featuring two brainstorming sessions, members emphasised the wish to engage more strongly with IRENA — recognising the major strengths of the Agency, including its mandate, near-universal membership and convening power. The mechanisms for engagement were discussed at various levels, including the potential to use the Coalition as a sounding board for strategic documents of IRENA and engage the expertise of Coalition members for substantive reports and workshops.

As a result, the Coalition agreed on a number of activities to focus on in 2017. These fall under four main pillars: 1) Strengthening the Engagement with IRENA 2) Review of Coalition ‘Governance Structure’ document 3) Creating an Investors and Business Group, and 4) Reviving the Coalition Communication’s Group.

For more information about the Coalition for Action please contact Stephanie Weckend at sweckend@irena.org or coalition@irena.org.

* In January 2014, IRENA and 35 leading players in renewable energy from around the world signed a joint statement forming a Coalition for Action to bolster public support for renewable energy, with IRENA taking the role of coordinator of the Coalition. By January 2017, the Coalition comprised 54 members, including four international organisations, 12 industry associations, 9 companies and some 20 civil society organisations