Eleventh Session of the IRENA Assembly

This Dialogue Panel will feature high-level participants including Ministers, and heads of international organisations and private actors, who will share their views on the role of the energy transition driven by renewables as a response to the pandemic and draw out strategies to simultaneously advance multiple economic, social and climate priorities. The panel will also seek to highlight experiences and concrete actions that can accelerate the energy transitions in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Agenda

Opening

• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA
• H.E. Ms Teresa Ribera, 11A President and Deputy Prime Minister, Spain

Panel Discussion

Moderator:

• Mr John Defterios, CNN Business Emerging Markets Editor

Panellists:

• H.E. Mr Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates
• H.E. Mr Peter Altmaier, Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Germany
• H.E. Ms Mila Aziable, Minister Delegate to the President of the Republic in charge of Energy and Mines, Togo
• Mr Makhtar Diop, Vice-President for Infrastructure, World Bank
• H.E. Mr João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Minister for Environment and Climate Action, Portugal
• H.E. Mr Tan See Leng, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Trade and Industry and Second Minister for Manpower, Singapore
• H.E. Ms Andrea Meza, Minister of Energy and Environment, Costa Rica
• Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO, Special Representative of the UNSG for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy
• H.E. Mr Aziz Rabbah, Minister of Energy, Mines and Environment, Morocco
• H.E. Ms Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy, European Commission
• H.E. Mr Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of New and Renewable Energy, India
• Mr Achim Steiner, Administrator, UNDP
• Mr Todd Stern, Former Special Envoy for Climate Change, USA

Closing

• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA
• H.E. Ms Teresa Ribera, 11A President and Deputy Prime Minister, Spain

Associated Publications

• Global Renewables Outlook: Energy transformation 2050(2020)
• Post-COVID recovery: An agenda for resilience, development and equality(2020)

This virtual ministerial plenary session will provide an opportunity to showcase the emerging experience in reinforcing energy planning and implementation at the national level and aligning that to global climate action and goals through NDCs. The session will facilitate a dialogue among IRENA’s Membership and international partners on climate action from the perspective of accelerated energy transition and faster deployment of renewable energy. The session will also allow Ministers and key partners to illustrate national priorities in terms of energy transition and climate action in their respective countries, while sharing national experiences and best practices in the context of energy component of NDCs to inform the way forward.

Agenda

Opening

• Ms Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC
• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA
• Mr Alok Sharma, President, COP26

Panel Discussion

Moderator:

• Mr Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator

Panellists:

• Ms Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP
• Mr Pietro Benassi, Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister, Italy
• Mr Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India
• Hon. Miriam Dalli, Minister of Energy, Malta
• H.E. Mr Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Energy, Antigua & Barbuda
• H.E. Mr Lars Andreas Lunde, State Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Norway
• Dr Gloria Magombo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Zimbabwe
• H.E. Mr Omar Pagannini, Minister of Energy, Uruguay
• H.E. Mr Loknath Sharma, Minister of Economic Affairs, Bhutan
• H.E. Mr Arifin Tasrif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia
• H.E. Mr David Tvalabeishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Georgia
• Ms Fekitamoeloa ʻUtoikamanu, High Level Representative, UNOHRLLS
• Mr Pablo Vieira, Executive Director, NDC Partnership

Closing

• Ms Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General, IRENA
• Mr Gjergji Simaku, Deputy Minister of Energy, Albania

Associated Publications

• NDCs in 2020 (2020)
• Renewable energy and climate pledges: Five years after the Paris Agreement (2020)
• Reaching Zero with Renewables (2020)

This Ministerial plenary meeting will address both policy and finance aspects of channeling investments to the renewable energy sector and achieving a steady pipeline of investor-ready and scalable projects. In addition to Ministers and Heads of Delegation, the meeting will bring together policy makers, leading experts from public and private finance institutions and industry to discuss how to make use of the opportunities that the rapidly evolving renewable energy sector offers.

Agenda

Opening

• Mr Rolando Castro, Deputy Minister of Energy and Environment, Costa Rica
• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA

Keynote Remarks

• H.E. Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, U.A.E.
• Dr Vera Songwe, UN Economic Commission for Africa

Roundtable Discussion

Moderator:

• H.E. Mr Gabriel Quijandría, Minister of Environment, Peru

Panalists:

• Mr Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, MASDAR
• H.E. Ms Hala Adel Al-Zawati, Minister of Energy, Jordan
• Dr Joachim von Amsberg, Vice President, Policy and Strategy, Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB)
• H.E. Mr Tomas Anker, Climate Ambassador and Prime Minister’s Climate Envoy, Denmark
• Dr Tareq Emtairah, Director, Department of Energy, UNIDO
• Dr Gary Jackson, Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
• Mr Dinesh Jagdale, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India
• Ms Marjeta Jager, Deputy Director General for International Partnerships, European Union
• Mr Csaba Kandrács, the Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Hungary
• Dr Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, African Development Bank (AfDB)
• H.E. Mr Mohamed Maait, Minister of Finance, Egypt
• Mr José Luis Curbelo Ranero, Chairman and CEO, Compañía de Financiación del Desarrollo (COFIDES)
• Ms Aida Sitdikova, Director, Energy Eurasia, Sustainable Infrastructure Group, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• H.E. Mr Claude Turmes, Minister of Energy, Luxembourg
• Mr Ariel Yepez, Energy Division Chief, Inter-American Development Bank

Closing

• Mr Rolando Castro, Deputy Minister of Energy and Environment, Costa Rica
• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA

Associated Publications

• Global Landscape of Renewable Energy Finance (2020)
• Global Renewables Outlook: Energy transformation 2050 (2020)
• Mobilising institutional capital for renewable energy (2020)
• Renewable Energy Statistics (2020)

This Ministerial plenary meeting will aim to both inspire and inform decision makers by showcasing examples of leadership on strategies for net-zero, sharing plans and experience to date, exploring what actions are most urgent and by strengthening the international engagement crucial to making progress. It will bring together a range of perspectives on the net-zero goal including countries who are pushing ahead and those who are still considering their strategies.

Agenda

Opening

• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA
• H.E. Mr Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of New and Renewable Energy, India

Keynote Interventions

• Mr Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA)
• H.E. Ms Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy, European Commission
• Mr Francesco Starace, Chief Executive Officer, Enel

Roundtable discussion

Moderators:

• Dr Karsten Sach, Director General International and European Policy, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Germany
• Ms Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation (ECF) and former France's Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for the 2015 COP21

Panellists:

• H.E. Ms Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission
• HE Mr Bento Albuquerque, Minister of Energy, Brazil
• H.E. Eng. Awaidha Murshed Ali Al Marar, Chairman of the Department of Energy, Abu Dhabi
• Mr Marco Alvera, CEO, SNAM
• Mr Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum
• Mr Thorsten Herdan, Director General on Energy Policy, Germany
• H.E. Mr Seamus O'Regan, Minister Ministry of Natural Resources, Canada
• H.E. Mr Aziz Rabbah, Minister of Energy, Mines and Environment of Finance, Morocco
• H.E. Ms Teresa Ribera, 11A President and Deputy Prime Minister, Spain
• H.E. Mr Arifin Tasrif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia
• Ms Joanna Whittington, Director General, Energy and Security, Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, UK
• Mr Daryl Wilson, Executive Director, Hydrogen Council

Closing

• Ms Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General, IRENA

Associated Publications

• Global Renewables Outlook: Energy transformation 2050 (2020)
• Green hydrogen: A guide to policy making (2020)
• Green Hydrogen Cost Reduction: Scaling up Electrolysers to Meet the 1.5⁰C Climate Goal (2020)
• IRENA Innovation Week 2020: Summary of the discussions(2020)
• Reaching Zero with Renewables: Eliminating CO2 emissions from industry and transport in line with the 1.5⁰C climate goal (2020)

This virtual ministerial plenary session will convene governments and partners to dwell on the crucial nexus between energy and health and offer a high-level platform for an exchange on challenges and opportunities in the deployment of renewables-based solutions to power healthcare infrastructure in developing countries. The Ministerial Meeting aims to bring together a range of perspectives on this very important global development priority.

The Ministerial will act as a ‘Call to Action’ for the development and public communities to prioritise electrification and greening of rural healthcare facilities building on IRENA’s on-going work in this field. The session will explore the current landscape of international cooperation on this issue and identify pathways to accelerate the electrification of healthcare facilities with increased private sector involvement.

Agenda

Opening

• Mr Rolando Castro, Deputy Minister Energy and Environment, Costa Rica
• Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO
• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA

Keynote Interventions

• Mr Alex de Jonquières, Director Health Systems & Immunisation Strengthening, GAVI
• Dr Rajiv J. Shah, President, Rockefeller Foundation
• Mr Liu Zhenmin, Under Secretary General, UN DESA

Panel Discussion

Moderator:

• H.E. Dr Kandeh Yumkella, Member of Parliament, Sierra Leone

Panellists:

• H.E. Ms Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission
• Mr Mark Carrato, Coordinator, USAID Power Africa
• H.E. Mr T.S. Singh Deo, Minister of Health & Family Welfare & Medical Education, Government of Chhattisgarh, India
• Hon. Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health and Environment, Antigua and Barbuda
• Dr Maria Neira, Director of Environment, Climate Change and Health Department, WHO
• H.E. Mr Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo, Minister of Energy, Burkina Faso
• Mr Riccardo Puliti, Global Director, Energy and Extractive Industries and Regional Director – Infrastructure, World Bank

Closing

• H.E. Mr Francisco Chacón Hernández, Permanent Representative to IRENA and Ambassador to UAE, Costa Rica
• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA

Associated Publications

• Off-grid renewable energy solutions to expand electricity access: An opportunity not to be missed (2019)
• Off-grid renewable energy statistics (2019)
• Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report (2020)

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is organising the sixth edition of the Legislators Forum that will take place virtually on 13 January 2021 at the sidelines of the Eleventh Session of the IRENA Assembly. The Forum convenes parliamentary leaders from across the world to discuss global, regional and local agendas relating to a renewables-based energy transition and serves as a platform for substantive dialogue amongst legislators and renewable energy experts on the acceleration of the deployment of renewables.

The 2021 IRENA Legislators Forum will enable parliamentarians, together with IRENA experts and keen representatives, to participate in in-depth discussions on the proposed topics and develop an outcome document that will offer suggestions on how parliamentary action can scale up investments and enable services to support societies’ development through an accelerated energy transition.

Agenda

• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA
• Mr Martin Chungong, Secretary General, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• H.E. Mr Saqr Ghobash, Speaker, Federal National Council, United Arab Emirates

Session 1: Renewable Energy as an enabler to rebuild better after COVID-19 Moderator: H.E. Dr Kandeh Yumkella, Member of Parliament, Sierra Leone<.p> 15:15 – 15:30 Setting the Scene [Presentations]

• Ms Rabia Ferroukhi, Director, Knowledge Finance and Policy Center, IRENA
• Mr José Donoso, Chair, Global Solar Council

• Senator Ms Loren B. Legarda, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Philippines
• H.E. Mr Yiorgos Loukaides, Member of Parliament, Cyprus
• H.E. Ms Ibtissame Azzaoui, Member of Parliament, Morocco
• Ms Bärbel Höhn, Chair, Global Renewables Congress

Session 2: Accelerating the Energy Transition by scaling up investments for renewables

• Mr Ahmed Badr, Acting Director, Project Facilitation and Support, IRENA
• Mr Adam Bruce, Global Head of Corporate Affairs, Mainstream Renewable Power

• Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Member of Parliament, Ghana
• Ms Jutta Paulus, Member of the European Parliament, Germany
• Mr Sven Clement, Member of Parliament, Luxembourg
• Mr Nicholas Dunlop, Secretary General, Climate Parliament

• H.E. Dr Kandeh Yumkella, Member of Parliament, Sierra Leone

Associated Publications

• Global Landscape of Renewable Energy Finance (2020)
• Mobilising institutional capital for renewable energy (2020)
• Post-COVID recovery: An agenda for resilience, development and equality (2020)
• Renewable Energy is a Key Part of the Solution (IRENA Coalition for Action, 2020)
• Government Must Act Now to Course Correct for Green Recovery and Accelerate Progress Towards Paris Agreement (IRENA Coalition for Action, 2020)
• Scaling-up renewable energy investments: Country position paper: Algeria, Colombia, Jordan, Mexico, Tunisia and Viet Nam (IRENA Coalition for Action, 2020)

The goal of the High-level Dialogue on Energy is to raise ambition and accelerate action towards the achievement of the SDG7 and the Paris Agreement on climate change, around five Themes: i) energy access; ii) energy transitions; iii) energy action to advance other SDGs; iv) capacity building and data; and v) finance and investment. Main outcomes will include a forward-looking summary presenting a global plan of action to achieve SDG 7 by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050, and a series of “Energy Compacts” that present multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments with tracking frameworks, supported by UN-Energy.

In order to draw on a broad range of expertise and perspectives during the preparations for the Dialogue, a multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group will be established under each Theme to advance in-depth discussions. Each Technical Working Group will produce a thematic report containing substantive recommendations towards an action oriented SDG7 implementation roadmap to 2030 in support of other SDGs and carbon neutrality by 2050. The Technical Working Groups will also help mobilize Energy Compacts to scale up action.

This side-event will present the overview of the High-level Dialogue on Energy 2021, and highlight the work ahead, with a focus on the planned activities of the Technical Working Groups.

Agenda

• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA

• Ms Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, UN-Energy Co-Chair & Dialogue Co-Chair

• Mr Minoru Takada, Team Leader (Sustainable Energy), UNDESA, and the High-level Dialogue on Energy Secretariat

• H.E. Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA
• Mr Marcel Alers, Head of Energy, UNDP
• Ms Sheila Oparaocha, Coordinator, ENERGIA
• Mr Rohit Khanna, ESMAP Manager, World Bank
• Ms Safiatou Alzouma Nouhou, Director of the Independent Delivery Unit, AREI
• Mr John Christensen, Director, UNEP DTU Partnership
• Ms Helen Watts, Director of Innovation and Partnerships, Student Energy

• Mr Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Director for Nature, Climate and Energy & Executive Coordinator for Environmental Finance, UNDP

The Public-Private Dialogue serves as a key platform for policy makers, legislators, industry associations, private sector stakeholders and civil society to exchange views on the latest renewable energy trends.

Building on two Calls to Action from the IRENA Coalition for Action for governments and legislators to deliver on a green recovery, this year’s edition of the Public-Private Dialogue will focus on the actions needed ahead to accelerate the pace of the energy transition. Participants will discuss COVID-19 impacts on the renewable energy industry and responses to date, as well as what actions are urgently needed from governments and the energy industry to accelerate global progress towards just and equitable energy transitions.

Agenda

In this session, leading renewable industry associations will present COVID-19 impacts and responses to date, including their outlook on the energy transition and broader climate objectives.

The session will provide insights on how public and private actors are revisiting their recovery and investment plans and what is needed ahead by governments and the energy industry to accelerate the pace of the energy transition.

Associated Publications

• Renewed Call to Action in Response to COVID-19: Governments Must Act Now to Course Correct for a Green Recovery and Accelerate Progress towards the Paris Agreement (IRENA Coalition for Action, 2020)
• Call to Action in Response to COVID-19: Renewable Energy is a Key Part of the Solution (IRENA Coalition for Action, 2020)
• Towards 100% Renewable Energy: Utilities in Transition (IRENA Coalition for Action, 2020)
• Post-COVID recovery: An agenda for resilience, development and equality (2020)

As the world acknowledges the role that renewables play in economic recovery as well as delivering continued and sustainable development in light of the pandemic and other threats alike, the resilience of renewable energy and their successful deployment cannot be overemphasized.

Guided by the theme “Promoting an Inclusive and Just Energy Transition”, the 2021 IRENA Youth Forum will provide an opportunity for participants to engage with each other in discussing renewable energy in the context of equity and equality. It will also serve to strengthen the existing network of young energy leaders with the latest insights from the renewable sector, as well as to connect young people with global thought leaders, government representatives, and IRENA experts in identifying the space that exists for youth to contribute to the promotion of an inclusive and just global energy transition.

With the exchange of views centred around the theme ‘Promoting an Inclusive and Just Energy Transition’, this edition of the IRENA Youth Forum will also provide platforms for three thematic working groups for youths to provide their perspectives on achieving a just and inclusive energy transition on the following subtopics: (i) the role of renewables in addressing key social challenges, including in humanitarian and health sectors; (ii) creating opportunities for youth in the energy transition by addressing challenges related to gender equality, job creation, education; and (iii) promoting youth voices and work, such as community engagement, research and advocacy on renewable energy.

Agenda

• Mr Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA
• H.E. Mr Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo, Minister of Energy, Burkina Faso
• Ms Sharon Cherop Soy, 2020 IRENA Youth Representative
• Ms Lydia Sanz Lozano, 2020 IRENA Youth Representative