IRENA Launches its Work in the Pacific Region in Sydney

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in partnership with the Government of Australia and the World Bank, concluded a three-day workshop dedicated to discussing renewable energy in the context of Islands.  A three-day workshop with a special focus on the Pacific region marked the launch of the Agency’s work in the region which will be one of its geographic focus areas in 2012.

Some 60 representatives and experts from Pacific island countries and territories and other small island developing states, development partners, inter-governmental regional organisations and industry discussed strategies for scaling up the use of renewable energy. The workshop participants presented examples of on-going technology deployment projects and reflected on lessons from their diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Workshop participants expressed their desire for IRENA to take a lead role in supporting efforts to a significant uptake of renewables in the region. Taking into account national and regional energy frameworks and building on the expertise of existing programmes and initiatives of key development partners private sector actors in the region, participants encouraged IRENA to become a “renewables one-stop-shop” for the region.

The workshop provided a wealth of ideas for future regional engagement of the Agency in 2012.  This will be further deliberated at the high-level IRENA/Pacific Leaders Forum in Abu Dhabi in January 2012 in the margins of IRENA’s Second Assembly.

For further information contact:
Dolf Gielen, Director, IRENA and Innovation Technology Centre
dgielen@irena.org

Mahenau Agha, Head of Communications and Press
Tel: +971-50-441-4829
magha@irena.org

Downloads

• Agenda/Presentations (Presentations are linked to the agenda)
• Statement of Outcome