IRENA’s Work Programme and Budget for 2011 adopted

A Ministerial Round Table on the Strategic Needs for a Clean Energy Future held in the morning of the second day of the session was chaired by President Sultan Al Jaber and facilitated by Jose Rene Almendras, Secretary of Energy, the Philippines, and Maud Olofsson, Minister for Enterprise and Energy, Sweden. Ministers and other high-level representatives exchanged views on, inter alia, the role of IRENA; the relationship of IRENA with other institutions; and the creation of markets and policies for renewables. The fast-paced discussions were highly interactive.

A member of the Secretariat presented IRENA’s Work Programme and Budget for 2011 to Members. The Work Programme foresees that global knowledge on relevant renewable energy information will be systematized and cooperative stakeholder approaches be initiated through Sub-Programme 1 on Knowledge Management and Technical Cooperation. Countries’ ability to develop and implement policy and financial frameworks, and to develop human and institutional capacities to promote a sustainable deployment of renewable technologies will be strengthened through Sub-Programme 2 on Policy Advisory Services and Capacity Building. Governments will be provided with the means for an accelerated renewable energy technology uptake tailored to their specific needs through Sub- Programme 3 on Innovation and Technology.

The core budget amounts to US$13.26 million in addition to up to some US$11 million of voluntary contributions pledged by the UAE and Germany.

Members adopted the proposed Work Programme and Budget for 2011 by consensus.

In the afternoon, the Assembly elected the 21 members of the Council of IRENA:  Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Denmark, Ecuador, Eritrea, France, Germany, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Mali, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Tonga, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America. The current members will hold office for a term of two years.

Members took decisions on a number of institutional matters such as host country agreements, staff and financial issues as well as rules of procedure for Assembly and Council. The session closed with Members’ approval of the permanent emblem of IRENA which represents the infinite nature of renewable energy and its worldwide scope.